Break the cycle of hostility

As humanity strives for 21st century diplomacy within a world governed by 20th century tools of destruction, let all our global neighbors make no mistake: Threats of aggression backed by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons have no place or use in any civilized -- yet alone democratic -- world whatsoever. Weapons of mass destruction do not deter but instigate.\nWhen will our international leaders awake to the real challenges of peacemaking, arise from the nightmare of saber rattling, and realize humanity's dream of global well-being -- thus saving our children and grandchildren from the innate human fallibilities that lead to war? \nTo the world, we demand Iran cease its uranium enrichment for fear they intend to make nuclear bombs -- but we do not seem to understand the consequences of our belligerent rhetoric and strong-arm international tactics.\nMight President Bush respect the right of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "signee" Iranians to research and develop peaceful nuclear fuel - despite the fact that America's best buddies and NPT "shunees" Israel, Pakistan and India aim nuclear weapons at the backs of their Middle Eastern neighbors? Besides, the United States and England have promoted nuclear power as the savior to energy independence. \nBilateral face-to-face talks with North Korea within a multilateral international framework -- despite its test firing of seven mid-range ballistic missiles -- are also needed now to prevent an Asian arms race, because India reported its own long-range ballistic missile test July 9, and Japan is beginning to grease its already itchy trigger-fingers.\nReform-minded diplomacy may take months to years, but consider the alternative -- further demoralizing humanity by "nation-building" countries again and again regardless of the weaponry used or measures undertaken to spare civilians. \nLook at the Israel and Palestine dilemma -- two countries seemingly destined to destroy one another in order to "save" themselves from each other. Might Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stand-up for the Palestinian people by insisting Hamas militants stop firing indiscriminate rockets into Israel? Might he, at the very least, stand-up to groups such as Islamic Jihad and Fatah -- because Israel has a right to exist, and the continued terror assault on its neighbor will only perpetuate Palestine's genocide of itself?\n"We have 70 suicide bombers in a new brigade awaiting orders to strike Israel," Abu Ahmed, spokesman for the Islamic Jihad's military wing, said Monday in the New York Times. "All of historic Palestine is ours, and we don't distinguish between (the Israeli) 1948 or 1967 (borders)."\nOn the other side of the wall, might Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert refrain from further demolishing already destroyed Palestinian land -- and further decimating an already dehumanized Palestinian populace?\nThe difference between the 1948 and 1967 border has become a thin line between life and death between Palestine and Israel. The world is plagued with such misunderstandings and cycles of violence, and continued WMD proliferation - whether a missile or human suicide bomber - can only aggravate the continued genocide of humanity.\nMight our international leaders try to break the cycle of hostility? \nMight they prevent another generation of human beings from dying in order to kill their neighbors?