Flotilla Diplomacy And Ideological Warfare

In the last month, confrontations between ships have dominated the international news.

Item One, North Korea. North Korea leader Kim Jung Il decides the sink a South Korean Navy vessel, the 1,500-ton Cheonan. Forty-seven sailors lost their lives and the world's reaction...a big yawn.

Item Two, the Eastern Med. Israeli defense forces enforce a common-sense blockage that looks for weapons and ammo while taking on the expense of moving thousands of tons of supplies a day. Turkey and Hamas, decide to create an international incident by sending a meaningless amount of supplies by ship and ignoring the open port miles away. Instead they challenge the blockage with the results they expected. Essentially a suicide bomb via ship. Nine people on board die in the ensuing skirmish. The reaction, OUTRAGE from all over the world. Rent-a-mobs show up outside media centers in New York and San Fran and the liberal media slobbers on themselves to catch the crazy, over the top, flagellating crowds chanting death to Israel.

The difference. Poor South Korea does not have the backing of the world's leftists since they are protesting George Bush several years ago. In fact, the attack on the South Korean Navy vessel is the much more serious issue. An act like that has started wars, big wars. And will probably result in a war on the Korean peninsula unless the South decides to concede - which appears possible.

North Korea feels emboldened by something...perhaps nuclear bombs?

What emboldened the Turks and Hamas? Their act was no less provocative and senseless. But they knew they have the backing of the major leftist organs, the UN and world media. Sprinkle in a little dose of anti-Semitism and presto, you have another fake incident that gets blamed on Israel.

To what end? Both of these acts have a similar purpose. To push modern civilized people into a corner and force them to react against thuggish dictatorships and theocracies who play by no rules. I think it is no mistake that the focus of these attacks are modern capitalistic democracies. I think it is also not a coincidence that the global leftists have sided with the forces of destruction and chaos in both cases.

Leftists long ago realized that they can not build a better example of the human condition than democratic capitalistic societies. Not in Russia, Cuba, North Korea. Not in Venezuela. Not in China, that current darling. Therefore leftists are left to either concede their philosophy leads to misery or sadly - attack democratic capitalist countries and try to make them look worse than the alternative.

The great flaw in this ideological battle is that capitalist democracies believe they can win with measured responses to these provocations. That there are moral equivalencies that can lead to common understanding. Both ideas are dangerous and will only lead to more violence.

The answer has always been to not pick fights, but when one is started finish it as quickly and humanely as possible. Leave no room for ambiguity or desire to continue the provocations. Win these fights when they are forced upon you or else suffer permanent hostilities.

I have heard many leftist TV analysts say that it doesn't make them anti-Semitic to disagree with the Israelis policy of interdicting weapons destined for Hamas. Maybe, maybe not. But it sure is a great place to start.