The Calculus of Peace and Tranquility

"Opinion"

08/20/2010

Paul Munnis


Those who follow American foreign policy would do well to study what Hillary Clinton is up to in the mid-east especially as it pertains to dealing with terrorism. She is leading our State Department to develop a “Calculus of Peace.”

She is practicing a well thought out methodical plan for changing the dynamics of world terrorism and to turn the Islamic world onto those who would disrupt the peace and tranquility of their homes, neighborhoods, mosques, schools, and communities.

In the “Calculus of Peace,” what differentiates people counts heavily and to promote tranquility between the warring parties then two negatives have to be made to craft into a positive. We witnessed this in Iraq when the villagers experienced the “Awakening.” We call it an epiphany.

What do we mean by this?

The Clinton family has more experience with this Calculus than almost any other people in the world, thus making them a world treasure of immense importance. Bill Clinton uses this Calculus daily in his work with the Clinton Foundation and it is producing miracles.

The Calculus is now being applied to foreign affairs where it is not new for when Clinton was president he used this Calculus to solve a political terrorism crisis in Ireland. He tried to use it with Palestine and Israel and he came to within 3% of crafting a historic peace between these two historic enemies. He left a legacy of hope as a result that keeps these warring parties seeking a workable solution.

Differentiation of course identifies the differences between two or more sets. In this case, social sets, cultures, and religious beliefs. The Intersection of Sets identifies those things that social sets have in common. The Union of Sets is the joining together of sets to form common elements. Hillary and our State Department are working on all of these elements of set theory to craft lasting world peace.

Getting more specific we can see that Hillary has convinced Obama that the American military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq is an irritant; a recruiting tool for al Qaeda and the Taliban. Thus she is advocating the removal of American troops and using contractors to replace the U.S. Army. Economics and public sentiment are on her side both here and abroad.

Another observation is far more subtle. If al Qaeda and the Taliban are destabilizing social forces in the mid-east then the people of the mid-east must turn against them and bring them under control just as any society would seek to purge criminals and anarchists from their midst in order to provide domestic tranquility for their citizens. Thus the negative of instability is joined with the negative of push-back and it leads to positive policing and reform within a society.

The policing skills within mid-east nations are often poor for it requires a pretty good education and skills development to build and maintain a working justice system from crime scene investigator to prosecutor to Court Judges and informed Jury Members. Thus Hillary is hiring contractors to train a police force in nations like Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The idea is to create a justice system that works to push back against terrorism. The same thing is needed in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. At the same time she is encouraging a reform of Sharia Law to demonstrate fewer barbarian actions in its application. Public stoning, beheading, and disfiguration needs to be replaced with incarceration and rehabilitation of the miscreant and it is in Islam’s interests to sponsor such reforms.

Hillary is also paying for an Imam to tour the mid-east centers of power while spreading a simple message:

“When Islam is allowed to be blamed for disrupting societies then it hurts Islam and their evangelical movement. Few people want to consort with a mosque that is exporting terrorism. Destabilization is not the message of Islam while Jihad is being abused by those who seek to disrupt societies and they are blaming Islam for the impact. This is bad for Islam’s religious business. Thus Islam must push-back.”

In other words, there is guilt by association and so push-back and control is needed. That in turn requires a police force and a working justice system. You can see two negatives being made into a positive.

As Hillary and Bill work the Calculus of Peace they are building a legacy of technique that the world can benefit from for many years to come. Americans need to support their efforts.

What they are doing is worth studying for we can apply these techniques to the dynamics of the workplace and community plus our own lives thus creating harmony where bad feelings now exist.

We wish them God-speed and success in their efforts.