WWIII

I spent a lot of time over the weekend contemplating the latest drama in the Middle East involving Israel, Hezbollah, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, et al. Some of the questions that I've been asking myself are mostly rhetorical in nature, however I think they are valid. Some examples:

-Why is Israel reacting the way it is? Sure, initially it had two soldiers brutally kidnapped and seven soldiers killed, never a good thing, but is right for them to retaliate in the manner that it did? I put my country in its shoes - if the US had two soldiers kidnapped by Iran (which it had), would the United States respond by bombing them? I can honestly answer that question no. Granted, bombing Iran in such a scenario would definitely be an option, but I think that we (the US) would respond with more diplomatic measures before becoming so hostile.

-What are the long-term implications of the Israeli action? There was an interesting interview on NPR this morning (sorry no link) that asked a similar question. And the respondont answered that because of Israel's action, the status quo in Israel could never return. I disagree. Although Israel's retaliation in this situation is a bit harsh, I think that the situation could be quickly diffused Israel stopped the bombing, and the hostages were immediately returned.

One of the most interesting questions that was asked over the weekend was asked on a Sunday morning talk show to Senator John McCain. The question was whether or not Sen. McCain believed we were in the middle of World War III. He answered that given the number of countries involved in conflict, and the fact that there is no end in sight, that yes, history will ultimately refer to this as WWIII.

In my opinion, this 'war' is small potatoes compared to WWI and WWII. Essentially you, there are no more than 10 countries that have actually exchanged gunfire (though the words Cold World War, would be very applicable). Could the violence in the Middle East explode into a legitimate World War? No question. The reference to the Middle East as a powder keg is no coincidence.