Liza Levko Blog 4

Going to the Syrian border lookout was something which has stirred up some mixed emotions for me. For one, we heard a mortar shell go off in the distance in Syria. I for one have the policy while in the Middle East of don’t ask don’t tell when it comes to military operations. If the governments of the Middle East wanted me to know what is going on than they would let media outlets know about every one of their military movements. Everyone is so concerned with government transparency nowadays because the assumption is that if governments aren’t held responsible by their citizens then their actions are going to be innately overly aggressive. I think that sometimes it is ok if the government doesn’t divulge every single one of their military actions. Sometimes governments have to do things which aren’t necessarily humane, but necessary to protect their population. I don’t think governments should be using this to justify all actions, but in special circumstances I think it is important to keep something’s from the public so they stay a little naïve to the real problems. I’m not saying that unnecessary force (i.e. Gitmo) should be hidden from the public, but actions taken to make ensure personal security and safety don’t always need to be made known to the public immediately. Sometimes ignorance is bliss when it comes to military actions.

The mortar shell sound elicited a great reaction from many in our group and they wanted to know every factor behind the shell. I promise you that the state of Israel wouldn’t allow a bunch of Americans near the Syrian border if it wasn’t safe. We all know there is a civil war going on there and therefore the reasonable assumption is that it stems from that. I don’t need nor want an explanation further than that. For me ignorance is bliss, because in this part of the world where violence, unfortunately, is a reality to make a point I don’t need an explanation for violent actions being committed since we all know why it is being done.