I would wish I was wrong... and I hope the damned war does not get out of hand, hard to "predict" once bullets, bombs and the rest start flying. One never knows what is behind the curtains, or how many cross currents clash in an event like this where considerable power is at stake. Who knows, what the powers that be really intend to do.
We never seem to learn; history, once again, repeats itself.
What makes it very different from any conflict in history before is that the weapons at the disposal of the elements involved are far too destructive AND that the same weapons (or a home-made derivative of them --the point is their capacity to destroy in a long-lasting manner), are at the disposal of most any extreme nut out there... and who the hell knows really, how many of these extremists are out there, or what their reactions will be once people begin to get killed.
Given our history and the result of confrontations like this in the past, it seems irrational that we are ready to spend the effort and cost, (human and monetary) in what we are about to do. No, I am not trying to sound Chamberlain-like, I believe that Sept 11 justifies not so much a retaliation, but seeking and destroying the perpetrators and supporters of terrorism. However, not in this fashion where the risks are multiplied tremendously; at times, I do feel the government is using Sept 11 as a justification of --who knows what is the real intent-- of going against Saddam.
What about Arafat and cronies? What happened to Osama and his lieutenants? And so on...
Evidently, the alternative to influence other countries to adopt some form of democracy and free enterprise, creating an environment conductive to trade and serve as a catalyst to alleviate the differences between haves-and-have-nots, is a mere pipe dream. In other words: where are the fruits of the so-called "peace dividend" (from the cold war). Ha! This tells you how naïve I really am.
Anyway, just a rant out of frustration from seeing how stupid we, as humans, really are. Good luck to us all.
Btw. Thanks for all the charts you put up; I do appreciate them |
