The Middle East

I know there is far too much information, history, art, music, literature, and overall culture of the middle east to cover in just one blog post, but I'm going to do my best to give a summing up of a general overview of the region. There are few parts of the world that are as complex and chaotic as the middle east. When I say chaotic, I'm not trying to be insensitive, but we all have to admit that there is usually a great deal of action centered around that part of the world, so chaotic just feels like an accurate word to use. It feels like every week there is a new development in the region. Whether it be a terrorist attack, an uprising, a dictator being toppled, or any type of regime change, there always seems to be something going on. The middle east is far too vast and complex of a topic/region to come up with a simple solution to all of the issues surrounding the region. There's the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. There is the Israeli/Palestinian quagmire. There is the brutal dictator Bashar Al Assad, as well as the lingering influence of the Taliban. I could write an entirely separate blog about each of the many issues concerning the region if I were to keep myself up to date on it, but with everything else in the world to write about, I can only write as much as I can in this entry. There are no easy solutions to solving the many issues of the middle east, but one thing I could say with a fair amount of certainty is that the region would probably be better off if the United States had stayed clear. Unfortunately, it's too little to late and that ship has sailed so we need to focus on the here and now and what can be done to prevent any more chaos. It should also be said that the issues concerning the middle east go back long before US involvement. Many of the struggles that the region deals with today have their roots in the colonial era when the European powers carved it up. Again, too little too late. It's easy to look back and say "we should have done this" or "we shouldn't have done that" but to look at the region and say what should be done now and in the future isn't nearly as easy to answer. If you ask me, the middle east will continue to be a hot bed of activity for at the very least the rest of my lifetime, but that doesn't mean we should give up on the region, because, factually, we simply can't do that. We're there. Whether it was a good idea or not to get involved is irrelevant because what's done is done. I know I've been saying that a lot in this entry but that's because it needs to be hammered into peoples minds. Hindsight is 2020, that's what I'm trying to get across. What we can be doing now and in the future is what the dialogue concerning the middle east should be centered on. As complicated and multifaceted as the region might be, I firmly believe that peace in the middle east can be achieved. It will be one of the most difficult tasks that the world will embark on, but I believe that it is imperative for humanity to accomplish this. Unfortunately, when people think about the middle east, the turmoil and chaos surrounding the region is the first thing that comes to most peoples minds. They don't think about the rich cultural history, the music, the art, the poetry, and the many other contributions that the middle east has given to the world. I should say that one of my all time favorite poets/philosophers is Rumi, and I've always marveled at the beauty of Islamic architecture that is prevalent throughout the middle east. A lot of people don't like to talk about the middle east because it often leads to a disagreement based on differing views of what should be done for the future of that part of the world, but I believe that dialogue is imperative if we really want to move forward and achieve stability in the middle east. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about it, because it's one of the most significant topics of this age. I don't have the solutions for the many problems of that region, but some one out there, or some people do, and if they're afraid to share their ideas and speak them into existence, progress isn't going to be made.