Forgetting for the moment that "we" are going into THEIR country and killing their citizens, and even forgetting whether the majority of THEM think they want what YOU INSIST ON FOR THEM, who the hell asked THEM if the potential benefits of our "help" is justified by the costs?
Sorry, I can't forget that their unelected government, the Taliban, permitted Al Qaida to train for, and orchestrate and finance, an attack that killed 3,000 Americans (attempting to kill 50,000 in total).
And how do you differentiate "citizen" from subject or oppressed minority? Because from my understanding there weren't many "citizens" in Afghanistan, except in the loosest terms.
And how is that we're "insisting" on letting them have political say in how they are governed? Your dysfunctional logic REEKS of "imposing democracy" and that's just fundamentally and logically false.
You cannot impose democracy, you can only unleash it.
Show me a person who doesn't want to have a say in how they are governed and I'll show you a slave.
Furthermore, when a government is elected, the decisions that government makes represent the entire population as a whole, for better or worse. When a government is UNELECTED, it's policies represent only those of the ruling elite, yet the entire population suffers the consequences (ie: Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, Saddam's Iraq, and Afghanistan's Taliban.. etc, etc).
If the people of Afghanistan elect a government which imposes shari'a law, that fine and dandy with me. If they elect a government that decides to wage global (or even regional) Jihad, that's fine with me also, if only because we can now hold the entire population accountable for it's government's decisions.
I was there, in Iraq, when 12 million Iraqis dipped their fingers in ink and voted. It was an amazing display by that population, which had never had a free election in their lifetimes (if ever).
They have to have a culture that can act with justice when given the power of democracy and they have to want it badly enough to fight and die for it.
I can name any number of cultures that never had a culture of democracy, which are now democratic. Japan never had such a culture. Turkey never had such a culture (and it's muslim). Hell, even the Kingdom of Jordan has a democratically elected Parliament (it ain't perfect, but it's better than most other Arab countries).
Germany never really had a democratic tradition either, and we "imposed" democratic reforms after WWI. And look at most of Latin America, with its century old transition from Caudillismo to Democracy..
I don't see any difference in the Muslim world, unless we're permitting racist and elitist views to prevail that forever make the excuse that Muslims are too sub-human to want democratic reform.
It may take generations Ed, but it HAS TO START SOMETIME. The alternative is that we do nothing and permit hundreds of years of totalitarian rule, with their resulting aggressive Jihads and conflicts to spill over onto our "plates".
We can't isolate ourselves anymore Ed. They won't let us. You must have read those MEMRI links I posted.. The militants might be currently few in number, maybe less than 100-200K, but it won't take many victories on their part to sway millions over to their side if the perception exists that "Allah is with them".
And YOU can't give them a culture of justice nor can you create a willingness to fight and die for freedom in the hearts of the "moderate" Middle Easterners you so often pimp as your supporters.
No.. we can't "give" it to them, but we certainly can tutor them and show them the benefits (and risks) involved in democratic reform. And since more democracies require a professional military to uphold the constitution, it can instill a sense of duty and honor that resonates with many of these Mid-East cultures.
I don't know of any other alternative except to be involved and to help shape results. Because if we're NOT involved, the results are pretty clear.. Eventually the religious fanaticism, and willingness to maim, murder and die in the name of Allah will cause the moderates to flee, or leave them enslaved.
I'm just unwilling to believe that Muslims are incapable of some form of rudimentary democratic society. And looking back at our own revolutionary experience, had it not been for the French Monarchy, I dare say our Patriots WOULD NOT have been able to defeat the British AND AMERICAN TORIES.
Of course, the French Crown had every selfish reason to see Britain's most important colony go its separate way. They thought they could swallow up the 13 colonies at some point. But the point is that we likely would not be a democracy (or Representative Republic) without their help.
And you know.. the French wouldn't exist as an independent country had it not been for the US and loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.
The bottom line is that you're willing to take a hell of a lot of reckless chances in believing that Islamic militancy will never pose another threat to the US.
I'm not willing to take those chances.
Hawk |
