Perspective

An interesting word, perspective. As a sometimes artist and photographer, it has interesting shadings of meanings. As a relatively recent student of politics, I find that those shadings can be instructive. With a long-time interest in perspective, in its many meanings, I have clearly seen that Bush and his neoconservative cabal are lacking in perspective on many things; lacking in historical perspective, lacking in military perspective. Their seeming willful ignorance on many issues is puzzling and dangerous.

I've suspected that they lack any serious or deep perspective on why things have gone so deadly wrong in their Middle East adventures. While ideology drives their actions, some true perspectives on the history, religions and peoples of the are would serve them well and temper their actions.

What made me think of this was a wonderful Op-Ed piece in the New York Times today by Youssef M. Ibrahim, a former Middle East correspondent for the NYT.

It would be a mistake, however, to consider the Shiites a problem solved. Rather, Bush administration strategists should undertake an in-depth analysis of the entire Shiite phenomenon, which since the Iranian revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power in Iran in 1979 has repeatedly upset America's plans in the Persian Gulf. It is vital that Washington understand that it cannot consider the Shiites of Iraq to be an independent, national body. Shiism, forged during more than 1,500 years of persecution at the hands of the Islamic world's Sunnis, is a phenomenon that transcends borders and domestic politics.

This paragraph alone is probably more background that ever given to Bush during one of his Readers-Digest Presidential Daily Briefings. The lack of perspective on a religio-political phenomenon that stretches so far into history and which colors events in an area they've chosen to involve themselves speaks volumes to why things have gone so badly.

The few minutes it would take to read this article are time well spent; for us and for Bush.