If 10,000+ civilians have to be killed to liberate 22 million people... it seems like a no-brainer to me
Is that the "grateful Iraqis will welcome us with songs and flowers and love us forever" story again?
Now, the situation in Iraq was more than this, but this answer certainly is adequate to justify the invasion on moral grounds.
Then why, in your opinion, is the US not invading China to liberate Tibet?
One has to understand why they hate us.
Very true. The following is hardly the real reasons, though:
They hate us because we have freedom and they don't. It is that simple. We have dignity, they don't. We have the opportunity to make good lives for ourselves. They don't.
As someone who has lived most of her life in various parts of the Middle East, I can assure you that the above is among the most dangerous misconceptions some Westerners have about "them".
"Dangerous", because it prevents you from identifying the real problem, and hence keeps you from addressing it.
Just like some Arab media pumps "US is the great satan" rubbish to Arabs, some US media pumps "They hate us because we are rich/pretty/free/etc" rubbish to Americans. Both are equally false, of course.
If their problem was with democracy, freedom, and opportunity, I hope you would agree that America is not the only country on earth that has these traits. We must therefore look for the reasons for this hatred elsewhere.
Imho, they hate the US because, from the viewpoint of Muslims around the world:
(1) US unconditionally supports Israel in its brutal occupation of Palestinians, their Muslim "brothers". Without US's support, Israel would not be able to make their brothers suffer. Thus, in their eyes, it is the fault of the US.
(2) While preaching democracy and freedom, US supports their brutal and undemocratic governments (ex: Saudi Arabia), hence keeping them oppressed and also being hypocritical.
(3) US is embarked on a crusade against the Muslim world and has to be fought (as evidenced in their occupation of Iraq).
Bush has [properly] determined that, while Saddam had minimal involvement with 9/11, his removal is the key to providing future security for our nation
Really? How did Saddam's removal provide future security for American nation?
Besides, "while Saddam had MINIMAL INVOLVEMENT with 9/11"? What minimal involvement is that? I would be interested to know because Bush himself said that there was no proof Saddam was involved with 9/11 AT ALL.
The deaths of those civilians, while unfortunate, had to happen in order that we might install a democracy in the region.
Allow me to say, with great sadness, that this rather popular view that democracy can be installed by force in the Middle East, is a very naive one...
The first chance they get, Iraqis will most probably elect a religious nut, who will then be the legitimate, democratically elected head of Iraq and then what is the US going to do? Invade Iraq again?
Democracy comes from the inside, not from the outside and at the point of a gun, and even then, it has a painful road - just look at western history.
This democracy, over a period of 30 years, will clearly create a "domino effect" which will free the people of the entire region</I.
That is exactly what Bush et al said, I am surprised you remember it all.
Turkey has been a democracy in the region since its foundation in early 1920s. Did it create a "domino effect"? Nope. And Iraq, invaded by the "great Satan" and forced to be a democracy WILL be a shining beacon of change in the region? Come on :-)
By doing so, over that same 30 years, anti-Americanism will steadily decline and the threat of terrorism against us will decline with it
What a sweet dream. It is a pity that it's extremely unlikely.
I recognize this isn't your vision. But you asked for my opinion and you got it
Yes, I did ask for your opinion. Unfortunately, what I got was the Bush administration's official dream for the Middle East - as disconnected from reality as the rest of it: non-existent WMDs, faked Nigerian documents, imminent threat that was anything but...
Personally, I don't have a "vision". I know a bit more about the place and the people living in it than most people around here, and for what it is worth, I try to explain why "they" seem to hate the US so, and why this forceful conversion of Iraq into a happy democracy populated with moderate Muslims who love the US is not likely to work out the way Bush et al says it will. |
