Suggested Answers to the Short Quiz

[johnkarls]

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Question 1

On Saturday February 14, as part of its Live in HD series, the Metropolitan Opera transmitted live into more than 2,000 movie theaters in 66 countries Peter Tchaikovsky’s 12th and last opera Iolanta which tells the story of the 15th-century Princess of Provence who is cured of her blindness by a Moorish physician, presumably from nearby Moorish Spain. Why did King René of Provence hire a Moorish physician?

Answer 1

The Arab Empire, at its height stretching from Moorish Spain through North Africa and the Middle East to India, began with the Prophet Mohammed in 7th-century Arabia and lasted more than 1,000 years. During that period, it was the center of civilization and learning (having invented, inter alia, algebra, geometry and modern astronomy in order to make possible Hajj’s to Mecca over vast expanses of desert and ocean) while Europe was a very backward place. Indeed, the famous song New York New York could have been written originally about the Arab Empire (“if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere”) except that it is a well-known/documented historical fact that if you could NOT make it in the Arab Empire, you went to Europe to join a Royal Court as its sage. Arab medical textbooks were still standard in Europe until the late 1800’s.

However in real life, King René’s daughter was not blind. But the author of a famous 1845 Danish play (“King René’s Daughter”) which was wildly popular throughout Europe and on which Tchaikovsky’s 1892 opera was based, decided to make her blind in order to provide a plot. So, of course, the author also decided that Good King René (the last Ruler of Provence before it was incorporated into France in 1481) would have had to have had a Moorish physician!!! Because of course the King would have demanded the best!!!

Question 2

If beginning with the Prophet Mohammed in the 7th century for the next 1,000 years, the Arab Empire was the center of civilization and learning while Europe was a very backward place (causing European Kings to hire Moorish aka Islamic physicians), was there nonetheless a Dark Side to Islam? In other words, why do we never hear about Radical Buddhism or Radical Hinduism, for example?

Answer 2

Yes, as we have studied many times in the past, Islam contains the concept of a Fearsome Judgment Day -- and the belief that a Martyr and 70 close relatives will by-pass The Judgment Day.

[See, for example, Osama bin Laden’s 1996 fatwā entitled “Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places" which states “A martyr’s privileges are guaranteed by Allah: forgiveness with the first gush of his blood, he will be shown his seat in paradise…..and his intercession on the behalf of seventy of his relatives will be accepted.” (translation courtesy of the PBS Newshour at pbs.org/newshour/updates/military-july-dec96-fatwa_1996)]

Other religions do not appear to have such a belief vis-à-vis martyrs.

Question 3

Is this the basis for the famous thesis of Harvard’s long-time (1963-2008) Political Science Professor Samuel Huntington who was the co-founder and co-editor of Foreign Policy Magazine, that Islam has “bloody borders”?

Answer 3

Yes.

Question 4

Did Prof. Huntington’s “bloody borders” refer to national “borders” invented by European colonial powers, or did they refer to “borders” between Islamic areas and non-Islamic areas?

Answer 4

Borders between Islamic areas and non-Islamic areas.

Question 5

If it were not for Osama bin Laden’s fatwā to nuke 10 million Americans (about which the Founding Dean of Harvard U’s Kennedy School of Government wrote a famous book about how to deal with it but whose recommendations have been ignored), would/should the U.S. be particularly concerned about Radical Islam?

Answer 5

Probably not, or at least not so much.

In 1998, Osama issued his fatwā entitled “The Nuclear Bomb of Islam.”

And in 2002, nine months after 9/11, he issued a fatwā requiring all of his followers to nuke 4 million Americans -- a fatwā about which the Founding Dean of Harvard U’s Kennedy School of Government, Graham Allison, wrote a famous book entitled “Nuclear Terrorism” about how to deal with the fatwā.

[NB: His prescription for all of the world’s nuclear powers to “lock down” every iota of fissile material and to prevent any non-nuclear powers, such as Iran, from enriching fissile material, was widely criticized as impractical and, in any event, has not been implemented.]

By 2005, Osama had issued a revised fatwā requiring all of his followers to nuke 10 million Americans -- as was painfully clear from Tim Russert’s 5/29/2005 Meet the Press interview about how to deal with the fatwā with former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman 1987-1995), U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN and then-current Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman) and Messrs. Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton (Chair and Co-Chair of The 9/11 Commission) -- during which they essentially recommended following Dean Graham Allison’s prescription which, as previously noted, has NOT been done.

During the first few years after 9/11, experts such as Senators Nunn and Lugar and the 9/11 Commission Co-Chairs regularly opined that it was only a matter of time until one or more American cities were nuked.

And quite a few Hollywood movies depicted such events.

Indeed, in 2005 now-retired-Senator Sam Nunn’s Nuclear Threat Initiative Foundation released a 45-minute Docu-Drama (entitled "Last Best Chance") illustrating the threat of nuclear terrorism with former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (of TV’s Law and Order fame as Manhattan D.A. Arthur Branch) playing the part of fictitious U.S. President Charles Ross -- and, playing themselves, Tom Brokaw, Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar.

As we have also studied many times, Osama bin Laden’s fatwā can NOT be revoked now that he is dead.

[A principle that was on prominent display when the Brits negotiated to restore diplomatic relations with Iran following the death in 1989 of Iranian Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini who had issued a famous fatwā to assassinate Salmon Rushdie in the wake of his fourth novel, The Satanic Verses -- the Brits were told by new Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that the fatwā could NOT be revoked because Ayatollah Khomeini was dead.]

Accordingly, it seems utterly bizarre that for the last 10 years, America’s mainstream media have refused to discuss or even mention Osama bin Laden’s fatwā to nuke 10 million Americans.

Question 6

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 6

Nothing!!!

Which is absolutely incredible!!! Because he was head of the C.I.A. when Osama was assassinated by U.S. Navy Seals and one would think that the C.I.A. would at least have considered the consequences of the assassination, including the fact that Osama’s fatwā to nuke 10 million Americans could thereafter NOT be revoked. [However, Leon Panetta does say that although it had been presumed Osama would be killed rather than captured (pp. 321-2), no decision had been made beforehand whether to admit Osama had been killed (p. 326).]

In this regard, Pew Research used to do extensive polling in the Islamic World and the Arab World (which, of course, is a major portion of the former area-wise but a small fraction of the former population-wise).

And the Pew Research polls used to show that before 9/11, America was universally hated throughout the Arab World and most of the Islamic World.

And that following 9/11 until his death, Osama bin Laden was universally loved and worshipped for his opposition to America (which continued to be hated).

It would appear that there is a crying need for a new Pew Research poll to ascertain how many Muslims are aware of Osama’s fatwā to nuke 10 million Americans!!! And how many believe they are obligated to obey that fatwā!!!

After all, it might only take as few as one!!!

[Many of our regular attendees recall that 30-50 years ago, a small group of MIT students built a fully functional nuclear bomb from information and materials that were then readily available publicly, though all references to the event seem to have been expunged from the internet -- BTW if anyone recalls the date within a very narrow range, we would be interested in dredging up the news stories about that event from library microfiche records which, of course, are not subject to elimination in Big Brother fashion as are electronic records.]

[Some pundits would take solace in the assumption that fissile material is not readily available. However, that was the reason why Harvard’s Dean Allison recommended that all of the world’s nuclear powers “lock down” every iota of fissile material and prevent any non-nuclear powers, such as Iran, from enriching fissile material -- which, as previously noted, has NOT been done. Indeed, in addition to all of the other unaccounted-for fissile material in the world, there were 132 suitcase-sized nuclear bombs (among other nuclear weapons) that went missing from the old Soviet Union following its 1989 implosion and 84 of the 132 suitcase nukes have never been located. Some pundits would take solace in the thought that such old nuclear weapons may no longer be operational. However, the fissile material that they contained will always be operational until used or diluted. THAT IS WHY IT WOULD ONLY TAKE ONE TERRORIST WITH A NUCLEAR BLUEPRINT OR THE ABILITY TO REVERSE-ENGINEER A SUITCASE BOMB TO NUKE AN AMERICAN CITY.]

And while Pew is at it, it might measure what effect our Drone Program has on Arab public opinion. Especially now that it no longer appears true as Leon Panetta once reported to the National Security Council (p. 288) that “Al Qaeda’s leadership was being removed faster than it could be replaced”!!!

After all, it has been two years since our 6/10/2013 meeting focused on “The Thistle and The Drone: How America's War on Terror Became a Global War on Tribal Islam” by Akbar Ahmed [the Ibn Khaldun Chairman of Islamic Studies at American U in Washington DC, the first Distinguished Chair of Middle East Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy, the former Pakistani-Government Administrator of South Waziristan (the tribal area often called the most dangerous place on earth), and the former Pakistani Ambassador to the United Kingdom].

Question 7

When the Obama Administration launched a war to overthrow Libya’s Muammar el Qaddafi who claimed to have panicked after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 and, as a result, gave up a nuclear weapons program that the CIA did not even know he had, didn’t this teach a lesson to all of the other third-world governments in general, and Iran in particular, that you should never give up your nukes or America will not hesitate to “cut you off at the knees” if it wants?

Answer 7

Yes, of course!!!

Question 8

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 8

Nothing!!!

Which is absolutely incredible!!! Because he was head of the C.I.A. when the U.S. launched its campaign to depose Libya’s Muammar el Qaddafi!!!

Most of the 150 recipients of our weekly e-mails will recall that on 3/21/2011 (4 days after Hillary Clinton’s hasty last-minute U.N. Resolution), a proposal was made to study Real Politik because of the U.S. oft-repeated objective of “regime change” even though the U.N. resolution only authorized a “no fly zone” to protect civilians.

Indeed, within days our proposal comprised more than a dozen postings documenting --

(A) U.S. intervention was opposed by a multitude of senior U.S. media commentators and senior Congressional leaders as NOT involving any U.S. national interest.

(B) U.S. intervention was alienating the Muslim world whose television sets were constantly carrying images of Western aircraft attacking Muslims.

(C) U.S. intervention offended most of our NATO allies (Germany and Turkey in particular) by expecting them to accept a “hand off” of responsibility for what Russian Prime Minister Putin labeled an “AMERICAN medieval crusade”!!!

(D) U.S. intervention caused the 22-country Arab League to revoke its support for Hillary’s hasty last-minute U.N. resolution when it became obvious in short order that Muammar el Qaddafi had grounded all of his air force and all other airborne vehicles immediately after the U.N. resolution, but the U.S. was using the U.N. resolution as an excuse for acting as the air force of the rebels to conquer the entire country and depose Muammar el Qaddafi.

*****
Our postings within a matter of days of Hillary’s hasty last-minute U.N. resolution marveled at how little the C.I.A. seemed to know about Libya. And our postings were presumptuous enough to offer the C.I.A. the information that Libya comprised more than a dozen tribes of which the area of the Qaddaf Tribe contained virtually all of Libya’s oil & gas production, which is why Muammar el Qaddafi (i.e., Muammar of the Qaddaf Tribe) had dominated Libya. Our postings also pointed out that when the U.S. began operating as the Air Force of the 2-3 Eastern Tribes, Muammar el Qaddafi immediately opened the state armories to ordinary citizens to defend themselves against the Eastern Tribes -- something that would have been suicidal if he had not been a truly popular leader for the vast majority of the population.

It would appear that Hillary’s hasty last-minute attempt to prevent Muammar el Qaddafi from maintaining order in Eastern Libya was motivated by Bill’s oft-repeated lament that his most-haunting decision was not to intervene in the Rwanda genocide in which two NON-TRIBAL groups invented by their colonial masters had warred against each other with an estimated 500 thousand to one million killed.

We did not get around to discussing these materials until our 2/8/2012 meeting for which we focused on Leslie Gelb’s "Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy."

BTW, it is interesting to note that at the beginning of Gulf War II in 2003, Leslie Gelb immediately recommended partitioning Iraq (which had never been a “country” before it was invented by the League of Nations and given to the Brits as a “Protectorate” -- a euphemism for “colony”) into three areas = Sunni Arab, Sunni Kurd and Shiite Arab (the latter of which, in many respects, is an appendage of Shiite Persia -- aka Iran which, since it is NOT Arab, speaks Farsi rather than Arabic). Interesting to note because after 12 long years, it would appear that Leslie Gelb’s recommendation has been achieved “the hard way”!!!

Question 9

When the Obama Administration continues to treat North Korea “with kid gloves” because they were smart enough NOT to give up their nukes, doesn’t this teach a lesson to all of the other third-world governments in general, and Iran in particular, that you should never give up your nukes?

Answer 9

Yes, of course!!!

Question 10

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 10

Nothing!!!

Question 11

In view of President Obama re-affirmation in 2009 of The Budapest Memorandum of 1994 signed by President Clinton, Russian Federation President Boris Yeltsin and U.K. Prime Minister John Major guaranteeing the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine if it would surrender the 1900 multiple-warhead nuclear missiles that it had following the implosion of the old Soviet Union, doesn’t President Obama’s refusal to honor that guarantee teach a lesson to all of the other third-world governments in general, and Iran in particular, that you should never give up your nukes?

Answer 11

Yes, of course!!!

Question 12

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 12

Nothing!!!

Question 13

Doesn’t President Obama’s failure to stop the Iranian nuclear program almost certainly mean that 50% of the world’s 7 billion human population will starve in short order?

Answer 13

As we have studied many times in the past --

(A) Virtually all of the world’s agricultural fertilizers come from petrochemicals.

(B) According to http://www.cia.gov, approximately 50% of the world’s oil & gas production comes from the Persian Gulf or downwind from the Persian Gulf.

(C) Turkey, Egypt and the Gulf State Six (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) have each announced their intention to go nuclear immediately if Iran goes nuclear

[Obviously, they have no more faith in the so-called American Nuclear Umbrella than French President Charles de Gaulle who, in 1966, pulled France out of NATO and developed French nuclear weapons because he believed America would never go to war to protect France from a Soviet invasion.]

(D) The constant threats of nuclear annihilation from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggest that if Iran acquires nuclear weapons, he will start a nuclear war in no time flat.

(E) And the rest of the world will be engulfed in wars to determine which 50% of the world’s population continues to eat!!!

Question 14

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 14

Nothing!!!

One would think that an “intelligence agency” would be aware of policy ramifications!!!

Question 15

Isn’t The Islamic State (aka ISIL, aka ISIS, formerly AQI or Al Qaeda in Iraq) nothing more than a creation of The Gulf State Six (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman) for following Military Theory 101 by “securing their rear” for their coming nuclear confrontation with Iran?

Answer 15

So it would appear.

Question 16

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 16

Nothing!!!

Question 17

Isn’t the fact that The Islamic State is a creation of The Gulf State Six the reason why they (except for occasional air sorties by the U.A.E. whose motivation may be to provide intelligence of American operations to TIS) and Turkey have refused to cooperate militarily with President Obama’s war against The Islamic State? And why other governments opposed to Iran such as Egypt will not fight against The Islamic State unless their own citizens are attacked (and then only as a limited retaliation as if to warn TIS to focus on the real enemy)?

Answer 17

So it would appear -- so it would appear.

Question 18

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 18

Nothing!!!

Though the realization that TIS is a creation of Turkey and The Gulf State Six is a handy “Program Guide” for understanding what is transpiring, including --

(A) Turkey and the Gulf State Six (with the exception of minor participation of the U.A.E. whose motivation may be to provide intelligence of American operations to TIS) refusing to cooperate with President Obama’s War Against TIS.

(B) Egypt mounting only a one-time air strike against TIS/ISIS/ISIL in Eastern Libya following their beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians on 2/15/2015 (as if to warn TIS to focus on the real enemy).

(B) Jordan (which is NOT one of The Gulf State Six) mounting a short campaign of intensive air strikes against TIS/ISIS/ISIL in Syria after they burned alive a Syrian pilot on 2/3/2015 (as if to warn TIS to focus on the real enemy).

Question 19

In fighting The Islamic State, isn’t President Obama simply acting as Iran’s Air Force in fighting the creation of American allies (Turkey and The Gulf State Six) in order to preserve Iran’s allies (Syrian President Bashar al Assad and Shiite Baghdad)?

Answer 19

So it would appear.

Question 20

What does Leon Panetta say about this?

Answer 20

Very little that would indicate that he is aware of this analysis.

Question 21

What is really in America’s best interests?

Answer 21

What do you think??? Let’s discuss!!!

In the past, our discussions have resulted in --

(A) a consensus that the threat of terrorism should be countered by intelligence (both human and electronic) rather than wars or aerial bombing campaigns or probably even Drone Programs -- and that we should probably be discussing (1) how much privacy we are willing to surrender to electronic surveillance in order to prevent 10 million Americans from being nuked, and (2) the extent to which we are willing to engage in “enhanced interrogation techniques” such as those approved by the European Court of Human Rights (to which 47 European countries are subject) in litigation between the United Kingdom and the Irish Republican Army; and

(B) a consensus that America should go to war, if necessary, to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons since failing to do so will probably result in 50% of the world’s 7 billion population becoming unsustainable virtually overnight.

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However, like our leaders, we should feel free to change our minds in the light of changing circumstances. After all, there is a popular definition of insanity as repeating an action or policy and expecting a different result.