http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/25/world/middleeast/100000000653542/israel-palestinian-reax.html
This video from Newyorktimes.com, which I couldn't figure out how to post, shows an Arab reporter interviewing an Israeli on his opinion of the recent events in Egypt and then interviewing some Palestinian revolutionaries in Ramallah about it. I thought this was another great example of how modern technology allows dialogue to occur between people that have never met. Israelis and Palestinians are able to communicate and exchange ideas through the medium of a New York Times reporter, and then an American chillin in the Heights can see what they both had to say and can comment on it.
The reason I think this is significant has to do with something I learned from the movie “Fog of War,” which is a documentary about Robert McNamara, who was US Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War. During one part of the movie, McNamara is talking about an argument he had with a Vietnam General years after the war at a dinner in the White House. During this dinner, they got into an argument about why the war occurred. McNamara, quoting American policy at the time, insisted that the war was a “War of Aggression- Communists against South Vietnam,” whereas the general claimed that it was a civil war. In other words, the two sides didn’t even agree on why they were fighting the war. McNamara claims that this is one of the reasons why never should have gone into Vietnam- because we did not fully understand our adversaries, and why they were fighting against us. ( Here’s a short clip of Robert Mcnamara admitting the war was a mistake http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hDjvKF_X78&feature=related).
Had we understood the North Vietnamese, it’s possible we could’ve come to some sort of compromise and the war may never have occurred, and thousands of lives could have been saved on both sides. Modern technology, which provides a medium for people from different sides to communicate and express their concerns, could somehow eventually, if utilized correctly, help start the march toward global peace. The hardest part is no longer getting in contact with your adversaries; now it’s about listening to what they have to say and being willing to engage them in an open conversation.
An interesting point about Vietnam. I would note that people can have different reasons for the same conflict. Some Israelis are religious and think that it is a religious fight for land. Other Israelis are just angry at Palestinians and don't want to give in as it were. It certainly doesn't mean the conflict is right, but I dont think it means its wrong either. So I agree with your conclusion, that people just need to start with being willing to listen to each other.
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