Hey Chris, I'm replying to you because I enjoy the objective reasonability you bring to the discussions on SI.
The fact is -- Saddam invaded Kuwait -- the USA chased him out, we gave the Kuwaitis their country back, and the Kuwaitis are grateful.
What I am wondering is... what is a Kuwaiti? What is an Iraqi? etc. What makes a nation?
I know little about the history and ethnic makeup of the Middle East, but the subject of how, by whom, and when these 'nations' were formed is worthy of discussion. I have heard it said that for the most part the English had the most power after the Turks were driven out at the end of WWI. Not sure how far east and south the Turkish empire ran, but I know it lasted hundreds of years.
Is there something that makes these 'natural nations', that is, not borders imposed on a map by outside powers?
If they are manufactured nations, then the notion that Iraq invaded Kuwait becomes subjective. Looking at a map, Kuwait looks like a bit of an afterthought, a piece of Iraq territory removed. While Iraq has a teeny coastline, Kuwait has much where it looks like Iraq's could have been.
If Kuwait doesn't have a different ethnic makeup, language, etc., then imagining myself an Iraqi looking at a map it's pretty easy to think Kuwait belongs to me, and was taken away by foreign powers. (i have no idea whether there is any evidence to support this, by the way)
If the nations don't have solid standing, then as an Iraqi I would think it terribly unfair that Kuwait has so much more oil production per capita than Iraq. Why should those Kuwaiti princes etc. get so rich while all these Iraqi millions are not? I'm not saying they shouldn't - I'm asking why.
If there is justification to this outlook, it takes away from this whole notion of Iraq being an aggressive country victimizing its neighbor and threatening the world.
One could speculate that Kuwait would not be a nation at all were it not for outside powers with vested interests making it become and remain a nation.
I believe the Arab outlook is that European/Christian powers have dominated their culture and their countries for nearly a century. Before that they were dominated by other outside powers. In many ways I can imagine Arabs seeing the overall Middle East conflicts as a struggle for independence.
As plants reach for the sun, all peoples strive for independence from outside domination.
I think it's useful too to keep in mind that the concept of 'nation' is only a concept. Not all areas of the world have adopted it into their subconscious as we of the Western world have done. Nations are not concrete as what we see on the globe - just take a look at an old globe.
Anyway, some thoughts. How I wish I could have a discussion based on information and reason. Unfortunately, that has not been possible to date.
Peter |
