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

To: stockman_scott who wrote (123694)	1/25/2004 1:38:00 PM
From: Noel de Leon	Respond to of 281500

The Bush doctrine We have not misjudged the Iraqi people -- and we have not misjudged the geopolitical intentions of our adversaries . . . and we never exaggerate the dangers to the United States of their actions. We view the people and leaders of Iraq in terms of our own experience. . . . We totally understand the political forces within the country. We do not believe in the power of nationalism to motivate a people to fight and die for their beliefs and values. Our judgments of friend and foe alike reflected our profound knowledge of the history, culture, and politics of the people in the area, and the personalities and habits of their leaders. We have recognized the limitations of modern, high-technology military equipment, forces and doctrine. . . . We have adapted our military tactics to the task of winning the hearts and minds of people from a totally different culture. We consulted with Congress and the American people in a full and frank discussion and debate of the pros and cons of a large-scale military involvement . . . before we initiated the action. After the action got under way and unanticipated events forced us off our planned course . . . we fully explained what was happening and why we were doing what we did. We recognize that our people and our leaders are omniscient. Our judgment of what is in another people's or country's best interest should never be put to the test of open discussion in international forums. We have the God-given right to shape every nation in our image or as we choose. We do not need to hold to the principle that U.S. military action . . . should be carried out only in conjunction with multinational forces supported fully (and not merely cosmetically) by the international community. We recognize that in international affairs, as in other aspects of life, there are only problems for which there are immediate solutions. . . . At times, we may have to live with an imperfect, untidy world until we right them. Underlying many of these successes lies our ability to organize the top echelons of the executive branch to deal effectively with the extraordinarily complex range of political and military issues. With thanks to Robert McNamara