The problem with taking out Hussein is that it will stir up more Islamic Fundamentalists, which is ironic since they do not like Hussein either. Hussein has been contained by inspections and is no credible threat to anyone.
I believe there will be serious Al Qaeda attacks within days or weeks of us attacking Iraq and we will not get much if any sympathy from the world if it happens.
This all has roots IMO in a failed US policy of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, providing weapons and support to unstable millitants on the "greater enemy theory" (we supplied nerve gas to Hussein to attack Iran), and by trying to be the world's policeman.
I sincerley believe there would not have been an attack on the WTC if our own CIA did not train Bin Laden, and if we did not have troops on Arab soil.
Who is the enemy here anyway?
Is it the Iraqi people or Hussein?
How many Iraqis citizens should have to die because we do not like their leader. How many more enemies do we create in attempting to take out a single person?
OK with that background now what?
Bush has escalated us to the brink of WW III by threatening North Korea and going to war in Iraq. I am not sure at this point there is an answer, but let's roll back the clock just two months and see what we might have been able to do.
Perhaps giving food to Iraqis while the inspectors were there would be a better policy than cutting off their lifelines. Food for oil perhaps? In time, perhaps the Iraqis would see who their real problem is. In the meantime we would have an open policy of amnesty for anyone that would be willing to take him out.
All the while, Hussein would remain isolated, we would get oil at a fair price, the Iraqi people would get food from us and we would help set up distribution centers. In due time, perhaps he would likely cease to be a problem just as Castro has washed away into irrelevance. Right now, the Iraqis know we have an embargo on, but Hussein is managing to get them food anyway from somewhere (France perhaps) and perhaps he is slowly building up internal support because of this.
In short, Has anyone seriously tried promoting peace and goodwill instead of threats of war?
As for North Korea:
Would it have made more sense to call up North Korea and tried to sit down and offer energy in return for dismanteling nuclear programs or by calling him a "pygmy" and cutting off his oil supplies? We deliver food and oil and have inspectors make sure his nuclear programs do not start back up. Is that a fair trade? Perhaps you see it as blackmail. But consider this: Perhaps North Korea has something we want in return. Try to understand what his needs are and see if he has something that would interest some US businesses. You see, it does not have to be pure blackmail, even if that is how it starts out! Establish some capitalism and investment there in return for us giving him oil and he dismanteling his nuclear programs.
I believe that in many situations there are "win win" opportunities if one tries for them.
What have we done to try and promote peace between India and Pakistan?
Have we taken an even handed approach on the Palestinian issue?
The best way to give peace a chance is to encourage capitalism and investment and by attempting to promote goodwill. Is that better than threats of war that inflame passions, and better than economic sanctions that countries 85% of the time get around anyway?
The best way to deal with terrorists is to not go stirring up more trouble and inflaming people left and right in the first place.
If and when terrorists do strike they have to be dealt with quickly, severely, will full force, and with the absolute minimum amount of collateral damage possible.
You do not deal with terrorists by attempting to start WW III, by threatening nuclear opponents or calling them pygmies, or by getting tied down with overblown imaginary threats like Hussein that have nothing at all to do with terrorism. In fact that is presisely what the terrorists want. I really believe Al Qaeda is laughing their collective asses off at our policy and are just waiting for Bush to give them a reason to both stir up more trouble and to gather more recruits.
M |
