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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (49215)	10/9/2005 6:26:57 AM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50167

Is Iraqi war about Oil or freedom? It is about freedom and oil. Free countries are more stable and less prone to civil wars. Wars result from reasons beyond philanthropy and generosity, it is self-interest and self-motivation too; America is a global power and has definitely a huge interest in the peace of the world. It is not only about ‘oil’ but it is definitely about continuity of vital energy resources from this region that attracts American attention, as the end user for this energy resource, they have vested self-interest in their own continuous prosperity and want to make sure that region is stable. A trouble-infested region will double American oil bill to $2 trillion, will the US then escape stagflation? A few hundred billions now can ensure a stable region that will be a civilized member of the global community which is what the real aim has always been, perhaps not publicly admitted. One can perhaps argue why should the Americans be interested in solving global problems? The problem is that soon after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, America decided that these Afghans were no more needed, allowed them to vanish in ignominy. The ex-Jihadi against the reds became the stalwart in an area that lent itself to become a harbinger of new Jihad all over the world. The areas and crescents we are concerned with is the root of the oldest of civilizations and thousands of wars, from Mesopotamia to the plains of Indus. History finds its origins, civilizations traces its togetherness from Sumerians to Harrapa. How can we let the cradle of civilization decay to putrefy and decompose to nothingness? These exercises in the Islamic region are not impositions from the top and different interest groups are emerging. But a habit of the ballot box is a very humane way for building a nation, not the methods of the past where a dictator would be supported. Soon after 9/11, a poll showed 91 percent Americans favouring the war on terror. Once you get into the quandary to exterminate terror you find that you either live in permanent threat or try to make long-term surgical corrections. Either you leave half of the world to these thugs or help make things better. The cost of making things better in a preventive manner, albeit not easily grasped by many, is much lower than reactive policy to either cut down from the world or live in a cocoon. This process of enlightenment of regions will take time. It is not going to be easy dare I say as it was for the western civilisations. The bigotry entrenched within Islamic core message and our inability to condemn ‘intolerance’ openly rather always makeshift arrangement to do with the status-quo leave much to be desired. The tentacles of ideological terror are deeply rooted from whichever side it comes, but in the case of Islamic terror, they are frighteningly dangerous. There can be no moral equivalence or justifications not to eliminate or re-educate these pockets of instability. If Iran ever detonates a nuke in the region it will be the very same ‘peaceniks’ that will condemn the administration for not doing enough but then it will be too late. Terror containment is not easy; you are following an unseen enemy; it needs offsetting like any other evil at all fronts. When it is a pre-emptive attempt, we face calls from lobbies like ‘not in our name,’ that the ongoing war is inhuman and violent. Let me assure you that this venom and hatred has been there and can only be confronted by continuous education and demystification with a final rejection of conspiracy theories.