Sex and the Single Jihadist

Sex is the missing ingredient in combating Islamic extremism.  Conservatives and Liberals agree, although with different emphasis, that radical Islamic ideology and the lack of economic opportunity breed terrorism.  But by leaving out sex, both are blind to a fundamental drive behind Jihad, and possible solutions.

Woman rarely participate in premarital sex in the Arab world because of the spectre of post coital public stoning.  Upending a sexist saying, men must buy the cow because the milk is never free.  Place strong emphasis on buy.  Throughout the region heavy dowries are mandatory.  Most single men must wait years, if not their entire lifetime, to raise the bridal bounty.

Sometimes members of the community help raise the dowry, often through the local mosque.   But a large pool of men have sperm swimming vigorously with no where to go.  Many extremist groups including Boca Haram and ISIS promise relief for recruits.

Boca Haram kidnaps women.  ISIS conquest includes rape and sexual slavey for the conquered.  It is easy to believe you are on the right hand of Allah if you no longer need your left hand.  On the subject of masturbation, that is also prohibited under most interpretations of the Koran.

The solution in many countries such as Iraq would be a dowery subsidy, probably conditioned on military service.  Perhaps it would take the form of an interest free long term loan commencing after basic training and some short period of service.  Small deductions could be made from military pay.  Perhaps after a certain period of  military service the debt is waived.

This approach has multiple advantages.  It limits a recruiting tool for extremists, and  provides recruitment for the Iraqi army.  Further, proper basic training builds loyalty through esprit de corps.

Iranians Cheer as Netanyahu Advocates Lifting All Sanctions

Have you ever seen a delayed reaction to a joke?  It took a while, but the Iranians get it.  Bibi has inadvertently provided a path for the lifting of all sanctions with no concessions by Iran.

Step one:  The United States acts in bad faith by making unrealistic non-negotiable demands at a late stage in the negotiations without support of its negotiating partners, Germany, France, Great Britain, China and Russia.

Step two:  The negotiations break down with everyone blaming the US.

Step three:  The Republican Congress imposes meaningless unilateral sanctions. since the US does not buy Iranian oil.

Step four:  The rest of our negotiating partners repeal or ignore all sanctions.

Step five:  Iran continues to build nuclear weapon capability.

Step six:  Israel bombs Iran, or talks the US into doing it.

Step seven:  The unintended consequence is that the Arab world rallies around Iran,  Iranian hardliners become more entrenched and the US standing in the Middle East further diminishes.

Bye Bye to BiBi

I hope that in the upcoming elections the Israeli electorate will say Bye Bye to Bibi.  But I have no more right to tell Israel who to elect, than their leader has to tell us to ignore what our president believes is in the best interest of America, and to instead do, what he believes is in the best interest of Israel.

But if we are to consider his recommendations, we should look at his track record.  He heartily encouraged America to spend its treasure and sacrifice lives by invading Iraq.  The rise of Iran is a consequence of the resulting destabilization of the region.  Obama was right on this issue, Bibi, not so much.

He has a valid point that Iran is not trustworthy.  Of course, he would be better poised to make that point if he had not, according to his own intelligence agency, lied to the UN about Iran's nuclear progress.

The option Netanyahu offers to a deal is war.  He dressed it up, but his rhetoric is sheer nonsense.  We along with our bargaining partners, England, France, Germany, Russia and China, will try for the best deal possible.

But what if the US follows Bibi's advice and demands stronger terms than our allies.  The result, when the negotiations break down would not be tougher sanctions.  The reality is sanctions would disappear.  The US does not buy Iranian oil, so our unilateral sanctions are meaningless.  If the US is seen as responsible for cratering the negotiations, our partners would ignore the sanctions.

Without a deal or sanctions, Iran would be on its way to nuclear capability, and the only alternative would be war.  As we learned in Iraq, war usually has unintended and disastrous consequences.