Ethical concerns about tyrants are (in general) silly. We love the tyrants that are with us, and hate the ones that aren't
This had a lot of validity during the Cold War, but is not so valid today, IMO. While we support Mubarak, Mushareff and the Arab Kingdoms who are dictators and have some human rights problems, they are not in the same league as Saddam, Kim Jong Il, Mugabe, and so on. Egypt to pick an example, doesn't have hundreds of mass graves, for example.
I'm not really worried about ethical considerations except as they play out in the court of world opinion (in our favor). I am a fan of Kissinger and realpolitik.
Presumably you are agreed we are right to keep propping up guys like Mubarak, Mushareff, the various royal families in the ME. I'd agree - I see them as like Marcos in the Philippines - someone to back to keep the communists from taking over, but to let fall by the wayside when their societies develop democratic movements strong enough to replace them.
As to world opinion, I think it is worthless. If world opinion is strongly against something - like Reagan putting missiles in Europe - its probably a good thing. And if world opinion is strongly for something - like the nuclear freeze movement - its probably a bad thing. |
