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

To: Michael Watkins who wrote (148885)	10/24/2004 6:54:43 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 281500

You've got this very peculiar code of morality where all the evil of all the dictators of world is OUR fault because we failed to stop it, or made a brief alliance of convenience (against Iran, in this case - and boy, if you want to talk about a multilaterally popular policy, that was it. Immoral I agree, but our Gulf allies adored it). Are the dictators themselves responsible? Nope, no way. They're just dictators, their massacres aren't interesting unless you can blame the US. Are the arms merchants who worked hard to sell them nukes and make them REALLY dangerous, are they responsible? Nope, that's just the French doing what the French do. But the US, they are the champions of moral turpitude. They should sit in the corner and take no action every until they can demonstrate 100% moral purity; even then they will have to atone for all their past sins, somehow. It isn't real. It isn't even meant to be real. It's just meant to reflexively oppose whatever the US does. If it moves to stop a dictator, it has no right to do so. If it doesn't move to stop him, it is responsible for his massacres. It's a bunch of moral preening. Make yourself feel superior while helping nobody and hindering the only people with any realistic chance of doing good.

To: Michael Watkins who wrote (148885)	10/24/2004 9:44:15 PM
From: SBHX	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Michael, Suppose your critique is dead on, that the US's problems today is a consequence of all the chickens coming home to roost. Suppose that short sighted expedience in the past by helping dictators as path of least resistance is the real cause of all problems now. Ok. How does this change things today? Btw, I also thank you for your astute observation that the world is not black and white. That is so observant of you, if you didn't say it, I would be forever cursed to walk the earth with this naive monochromatic view of the world. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I find all lessons of history interesting, but my primary focus today is on : what do we do now? So what do you think should be done now?