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

To: Sam who wrote (125199)	2/27/2004 11:56:18 AM
From: Hawkmoon	Respond to of 281500

They threw a stick of dynamite into a tinder box of already smoldering embers and have risked turning it into a maelstrom--unnecessarily. Hmmm... I haven't heard it go off yet... You sure the US action didn't actually CUT (or at least stepped on) an already smoldering fuse that was destined to blow up uncontrollably? And the only hurricane force winds I'm feeling are the winds of change taking place in Iraq, as well as in other nations in the region, including Libya.. Now maybe we'll see a crosswind or two from time to time, but so long as we focus on the task and goals at hand, I don't see any reason that the region won't be more stable and secure than it was previously.. If anything, a little "fear" amongst the despotic regimes in the middle east is a good thing.. It certainly heartens the more moderate elements who have been stifled and quashed... But with US forces there and hardliners watching how they act, it's altogether possible that the US presence will encourage even more opposition to the militant and aristcratic regimes in the region. Their ignorance of the area has been demonstrated many times, but perhaps the most amazing example of it was when they tried over the summer to get the Turks to send soldiers into Iraq True... there's a learning curve in many cases. But I'm hopeful that we'll adapt to the situation as it goes along.. But Turkey also lost the opportunity to possibly gain some credibility and respect in the country, once again... Maybe not with the Kurds, but possibly with the Shiites and Sunnis. There were and still are far more important things to accomplish than taking out a Saddam who was already defanged and, based on reports, rather out of touch with reality as it was. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20 Sam... There had been NO UN INSPECTIONS FOR 5 YEARS.. So no one could truly state that Saddam remained "defanged".. His people were quite good at deception operations. And it's the ones who are out of touch with reality who are the most dangerous.. Look at Bin Laden, who is a socio-pathic megalo-maniac.. He really believes he's on a mission from Allah.. He believes he's the 12th imam Al-Mahdi... (which is why he organized in Afghanistan/Pakistan, also known as Khorasan). And look at what his delusions achieved for his cause... $1 Trillion dollars in economic damage to the "great satan", and almost killing 25,000 people in the WTC. Personally, I say we can't just focus on Bin Laden.. We have to drain the swamp as well, or at least commence a long-standing "reclamation" program.. And that means going to the heart of the middle east.. Which for many legal, cultural, and strategic reasons, meant Iraq. You and the Bush admin have far too much faith in military power to resolve political problems, IMO. No.. military power doesn't solve problems.. But it can provide sufficient order and social stability for the society at large to create their own solutions.. Iraq has tremendous wealth that lies untapped. I hope that a good majority of this wealth finds its way into the hands of the Iraqi people.. And it's my hope that they will show, like Turkey, that there is far more to be gained by being moderate and democratic, than there is by constantly permitting a strongman to rule their lives and destinies. Hawk