“My position on that has been misrepresented again and again and again in the media. Let me make it clear. There are two wars in Iraq. The first one was absolutely necessary and entirely justifiable. Saddam Hussein had attacked and invaded Kuwait, a sovereign independent state, it was a blatant act of aggression, and action was justifiable and necessary. I have no problems with that at all.” WarProblemActionLet MeIndependentAggressionNo Problem Author:Bernard Lewis
“In the past, foreign intervention was obviously a major problem. Foreign domination, or if not domination, interference. But that has ended. There is no foreign domination; there is minimal foreign interference. The Cold War has ended. The Soviet Union no longer exists. The United States is showing minimal and diminishing interest in the Muslim world. They now have to confront their own problems. The old excuses are gone. The old justifications are gone and therefore the anger of people is turning increasingly against their own rulers.” PeopleWorldWarProblemPastInterestColdExcuseSovietRulersJustificationCold WarSoviet UnionDominationInterference Author:Bernard Lewis
“Blaming the imperialists nowadays is obviously absurd, as is blaming the Americans, who obviously don't have the slightest desire to control anything in the Middle East. The American desire is to get out as quickly as possible and the general view is that now that the Cold War is over and the Soviets are no longer a problem, we have no reason to stay there, let's get out. They will have to confront their own problems. Israel provides a useful scapegoat but it's a limited one.” WarReasonProblemDesireColdBlameAbsurdCold WarScapegoat Author:Bernard Lewis
“If the conflict is about the size of Israel, then long and difficult negotiations can eventually resolve the problem. But if the conflict is about the existence of Israel, then serious negotiation is impossible.” IfsLongProblemDifficultExistenceImpossibleSeriousConflictSizeIsraelResolveNegotiation Book:Faith and Power: Religion and Politics in the Middle East Source: Faith and Power: Religion and Politics in the Middle East
