October 23

 Good early morning. Cool, cloudy, and not much rain expected according to the Weather Channel. We have an early errand today but otherwise no real plans.

The early news/commentary posed an interesting question that hasn't been asked at all. All the political leaders have insisted that Israel has to, really has to, consider "what comes after" whatever they are planning in Gaza. The commenter suggested that the same question be asked of all of the Muslim governments involved. The way the question is usually posed and directed--at Israel--erases the fact that Israel is NOT the only actor in this. Hamas clearly has agency as shown by its attack on Israel. Iran has agency as shown by its financial and other support of Hamas. Qatar has agency considering that it is harboring Hamas leaders. I could go on down the list. They should also have to articulate what they see as the outcome--what comes after.

Another segment on the news this morning was a bit annoying. The commenter worried about an escalating situation in the Hamas-Israel conflict with the various patrons on each side getting gradually, or not so gradually, pulled in until it is a world conflagration. The talking heads made their comparison of today's situation to that of the beginning of WWII. I would go back further to the start of WWI. I still think Barbara Tuchman's THE GUNS OF AUGUST is the best account of the start of the war. European powers were split between two camps: Austria/Germany later joined by the Ottoman Empire vs. England/France/Russia. France and England were also guarantors of Belgian sovereignty. The War began in Serbia with the assassination of the heir to the Austrian throne and Austria's threats to Serbia which brought Russia in to support their "slavic brothers." The conflict expanded from there especially when Germany violated Belgium's borders to attack France. Today we have a very similar situation and the only question is whether the Hamas attack will be our "assassination in Sarajevo."

Bill Astore reminds us how to read the war dispatches. It isn't just war dispatches that uses the passive voice to hide the source of the action or who exactly affected. Politics does the same especially when politicians want to hide who is responsible for actions they know will upset voters.

I heard another comment that interested me: Hamas can't be defeated because Hamas is an IDEA more than a group of people. Ideas don't die. They come back in a slightly different form. Just as the Islamic State was an idea and has appeared in various places under different names. That is likely what will happen with Hamas even if Israel is able to dismantle it and decapitate its local leadership especially since its top leaders are not in Gaza.