And pissing them off more is supposed to solve the problem? Of couse not.
Well, I don't see you inviting more of them to immigrate to the US so that they can find jobs, spouses, and economic opportunity... Is that what you believe we should permit??
I'm happy to hear your alternative solutions to resolving this unstoppable demographic trend... (other than trying not to "piss them off more"..
Should we just permit their own corrupt and militant leaders (political and religious), who apparently are unable to meet their economic needs now or in the future, continue to cast the blame for their despicable plight upon the "western imperialists"??
If we're going to catch blame either way, I would like to believe that we tried everything possible to reshape their social and economic lives so that they can't find justification for getting "pissed off"..
The Afghanistan solution isn't. There is still turmoil there and signs that alqaeda is recruiting at levels close to pre 9/11.
Again.. provide an alternative solution please..
Just giving money to corrupt warlords and letting them spend it as they please so we can "wash our hands of the problem" isn't the solution either..
What MUST happen in Afghanistan, or any other lawless society, is that the various powers must either be encouraged or coerced into recognizing a central governmental authority. And the longer we give the warlords the means to ignore that reality (by funding them), there will be no strong central authority in Afghanistan. All aid MUST be distributed through the central government to the point where the people see IT as their path of opportunity..
It's only been a year since the Taliban fell.. They devastated the country beyond what it already had been. Now there are refugees who have flooded back into the nation from Pakistan and YOU BET there will be turmoil.. But so long as they are fighting amongst themselves and not directing it externally to the US, then the problem is relatively contained until the powers that exist in the country finally learn to compromise or be excluded from power.
Oh, please there's plenty of oil in North and South America for us not to have to rely on Saudi Oil. We could go to Canada or Venezuela or some other source.
Hey.. there's plenty of nuclear power too.. But everyone's content to continue living in a fossil fuel society...
As for "enough oil"... sure there's enough when Venezuela isn't in disarray and not shipping.. Or when the 'Stans come on line with their production and a means of delivering it to western markets from the Caspian. But what about future needs?? China is growing astronomically and it's energy requirements will grow tremendously over the coming years as it modernizes.
But most of all, what Iraq accomplishes is the opportunity for a greater percentage of that oil wealth to go to building up that country, AS WELL AS providing a foil against any future Saudi oil embargo.. It decreases Saudi Arabia's ability to dictate terms in OPEC, and hopefully undermine the monopolistic nature of that organization.
And by what miracle will corruption end?
Come on Karen.. You are being truly disingenuous here.. I never stated corruption would ever totally end in any society.. But there have to be mechanisms for exposing it, such as a free press and political process, neither of which exist in Iraq (or anywhere else in the Arab Middle East).
There is no good reason to wage a war against Iraq. They are contained. They are not a threat, they have capitulated, cooperated and done everything they can to avoid war
Geezus... you must be bucking for a position as Saddam's propaganda minister... Because WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING is shooting at US planes almost every day with missles and AAA. That's hardly "cooperation".. If anything, it shows the restraint that US/UK forces have shown in enacting the "containment" of Iraq.
But you can't keep someone contained forever... Do you really enjoy keeping US forces over there, away from their families, merely to pursue a "Vietnam-style" containment policy?? Another never ending commitment which places the lives of Americans and others in the region at risk??
No... you go in, get the job done, remove the cancer, and begin the healing... We have done it over and over again, certainly with the Marshall plan being the best example... It's an opportunity to turn growing resentment in the Arab world into true understanding...
And even if it fails, it's certainly better than seeing your "containment" theory eventually fall to pieces and unleash pandora's box as Saddam, or one of his sons attempts to become the Saladin, under the shield of nuclear and biological weapons..
The technology exists to track such things and find them if they exist. Saddam isn't going to attempt that. He'd be found out in a heartbeat if he did.
Sure worked with the North Koreans, didn't it??? Now they are saying that possibly Iran actually provided the materials for this nuclear warhead they claim to have.. And we find out that Pakistan was offering Saddam nuclear technology back in 1990..
So come on now.. Don't believe everything you see on C-Span, or any other pundit network..
And if you think you're "so right" then tell us how 9/11 managed to happen?? Tell us why Bin Laden so resented US forces being stationed in SA for the purpose of "containing" Saddam that he decided to blow up our embassies, our ships, and the WTC...
There's the fruit of your containment policy..
Hawk |
