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

To: GST who wrote (151344)	11/10/2004 5:57:58 AM
From: Bill Ulrich	Respond to of 281500

Well, obviously, we should surrender Baghdad and immediately assist the French with killing people in Ivory Coast. That's a "legal" war, apparently (as curious phrases and aggression unprotested go, at least). The French will need help anyway, Q.E.D. And for those of the mindset that all we do is victimize poor countries to satisfy our bloodlust, then it works out to perfect win-win scenario for nearly everybody. Any objections? "Lets say we conclude, along with you, that the war is indeed "illegal" as you stipulate: What then? What are the implications for US foreign policy? ... What should we do now?"

To: GST who wrote (151344)	11/10/2004 8:33:10 AM
From: Michael Watkins	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Why does it matter? Every action the US takes, increasingly if not exponentially so, will be viewed through a different and more critical lens. If the country can't act within generally accepted legal norms, it will be increasingly isolated, at a time when more international cooperation - not less - is needed. One day, some issue, some where, will come up again where opposition from the world will be more than just a few 'nutty' protesters in far off capitals. One day, some issue, some where, the US will stand alone because no one else will stand with it. The US may be more powerful militarily than any contender but it may not, in all our lifetimes, remain the most powerful economic force. Unless it remains so by force...