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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (7993)	2/13/2003 11:20:09 PM
From: TigerPaw	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 25898

What was the best defense against communism then? I think the Beatles defeated Communism. They showed an image of a tolerant society where anyone could succeed, and that success was a state of mind not a bank account. That turned the people against the authoritarian government and the wall came tumblin' down. (Till now anyway, Junior is building walls faster than a Qin Dynasty prince) TP

To: Brumar89 who wrote (7993)	2/14/2003 9:27:36 AM
From: Art Bechhoefer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

>>What was the best defense against communism then?<< That's not, and never was the problem. The problem is the legitimate desire of people in these countries to modernize, and their inability to translate those desires into real improvements without benevolent assistance. Communism failed wherever it was attempted because the system never was able to generate the kind of capital needed to modernize. By framing the problem in these countries as communism, we have looked to the wrong solution. You can't tell this to the CIA, since they still are on the anti-communist thing. So the best defense (or offense) has never been AGAINST communism but IN FAVOR OF modernization through teaching new skills and providing essentials such as basic medical care. It need not be expensive, but it does need to be focused more on the immediate needs of populations living near subsistance levels. That approach is surely more likely to be successful than relying solely on military might. Art