Having just been in Dubai for my first time only a couple of weeks ago, the news of the U.S. partnering with Israel to bomb Iran is heartbreaking. I was there for work and it was such an eye opening experience. I feel like here in the U.S. we only hear about this region in terms of war. But when I was there, meeting with Europeans and Africans as well as Middle Easterners it was the first time I realized what a vibrant area this is. These countries are interested in doing business with one another, in part with the goal of helping to build out infrastructure throughout Africa, particularly in stabilizing energy and harnessing minerals. Many of these regions are very stable and filled with people who are interested in modernizing, doing business and improving the quality of life in the areas in which they live and work.
To awake yesterday to photos of The Fairmont being blown wide open was surreal.
The irony is that my driver in Dubai and I were speaking about the U.S. and he was very concerned about my teens because of our drug epidemic. That is what they are seeing on t.v. And it’s true. We have so many issues at home that we should probably focus on first.
I want freedom for all people. I want everyone to have a better life. I hate human suffering at the hands of government. I just fail to understand how war can effectively achieve the goal of peace or freedom. The chaos it wrecks is traumatic, disruptive and expensive.
I used to be firmly entrenched in the Republican side, ready to fight any war that the leaders thought was the area du jour to bomb, but I have since moved away from that position and question a lot of what I see. I don’t have all the answers. But I am saddened that this war is bringing chaos to a region that seemed quite stable. I am not an expert, just a first hand observer.
Notes From Real Life 