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

To: Rascal who wrote (103182)	6/27/2003 1:50:35 PM
From: aladin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Rascal, Somolia was a humanitarian mission - millions were at risk from hunger - and on that tact it was successful. You are right that there was no established exit strategy, but this was made worse by a change of administrations - when the new guys always want to do everything different. Try reading Black Hawk Down for a good insight on the fighting late in the engagement. Following Somolia came Bosnia - then Kosovo. And you are right again - a lot of Republicans were against that - to their shame. Way to much isolationism in the Republican party. As for Afghanistan - I would also like to see it turned into a democracy with full human rights. But I believe the administrations main goal was to dismantle it as a base for terror export, human rights and the road to democracy were secondary - remember if they had handed over Osama - we would have walked away. So by any stretch - an outstanding success. The kind of engagement you are asking for would, unfortunately lead to Soviet or British model and both of these failed. My problem with western democracies is that no one is interested in these humanitarian missions in a truly humanitarian way. The genocide in Africa could be stopped with a couple of divisions and air support. Rwanda could have been stopped by a brigade of Marines. These people are killing with hatchets and machetes - its not like we would be facing any mechanized force, any air power or anything above an AK-47. John ps if Bush did go into the DNC - Ted Rall would write a book on a conspiracy to drill for oil :-)