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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (95640)	4/22/2003 6:05:08 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

<What if Iraqis want the USA to be overall boss, but Iraq has their own elections and runs their own affairs> <Those two outcomes are mutually contradictory. If the U.S. is "overall boss", then the Iraqis aren't "running their own affairs". Choose. Finessing this is self-deception.> Not really. In NZ, we still have the Queen as overall boss and the Privy Council too. If push really came to shove, we'd look to the Queen to take over while we had elections to sort out who was boss. In Japan, the USA was boss as occupying power [along with Kiwis]. The USA gave them a constitution and was still boss. The Japanese adopted it. So, to some extent, there can be two bosses. It's a bit like each city in New Zealand runs itself, but the overall government sets the main rules. Or, Cook Islands is under NZ's wing, but is autonomous. Same with other Pacific Islands. If the USA pulled out now, it would be instant civil war in Iraq. Total catastrophe and somebody like Saddam would be back in charge. I'd like to see a referendum or two or ten before the USA and British and Oz pull out. It would be wicked to abdicate having taken power by force, without establishing a mechanism for locals to take over self-governance. Comparing the USSR referenda to the USA is silly. Saddam held elections too! Everyone voted for him. I'm hardly an apologist for the USA [I'm an UnAmerican AntiAmerican] but that doesn't mean I'm in favour of mayhem. I'll take what's the best option at the time. I'm sure the USA is perfectly capable of and interested in establishing civilized self-rule in Iraq based on democratic methods. The USA could act like the Queen. There just in case the locals fail to agree on what to do or a losing party refuses to hand over power. Mqurice