Re: [Skate] Iraqracy!

Jeff FitzRandolph:

> I would welcome opinions from all on the list....I think an open
> discussion would be delightful.

Below is a survey of how many conflicting thoughts it is possible to have at 
one time.

A) This is thirteen years too late.
The war in 1991 should have been continued until Saddam was brought down. It 
was a war which was justified by Iraqi aggression, and which had widespread 
international support at the time. "Finishing the job" then would have been 
perfectly in order. (Of course the best would have been if the regime had 
crumbled from the inside. But in any case, leaving the Iraqi insurgents at 
the time stranded, after encouraging them to an uprising, was deeply 
immoral).
The reason for not going further at the time had, I believe, in reality 
nothing to do with international mandates or lack of support - both could 
have been forthcoming if the will to do the job had been there - it was 
rather a matter of Arab allies (Saudi Arabia and Jordan) warning against 
doing so, for fear of what can of worms might be opened.

B) The present war, however, was not justified
There were no weapons of mass destruction (and this should have been 
generally known) and no connection with 9/11 (which should also have been 
generally known). Unlike 1991, there was no apparent Iraqi aggression, and 
unlike 1991, there was no "real" coalition. Enforcing international law by 
breaking it does not make sense to me. In the end, what the whole situation 
has reminded me of, is the old schoolyard lesson that the way to deal with 
the small bullies, is to be on the party of the bigger bully. It's kind of a 
sad reflection that this is still the state of the world.

C) Is it a success, though?
Here, I am firmly in the camp of the former Chinese leader Chou En-lai, who, 
when asked about his opinion about the French revolution, said that it was 
too early to tell.
I do of course hope there will be a successful Iraqracy. The elections are a 
promising sign . But the failures are also apparent, and the biggest fear is 
that in the end, what has been created is a fertile recruiting ground for 
Osama Bin Laden.

D) Whatever my opinions about Bush, he was certainly right about the UN
They could not stand up to Saddam. They could not stand up to Bush. Nothing 
but spinelessness and resolution-mongery.
I would like to see an international organisation where the entry ticket is 
"democracy" or at least "attempting democratic reform, moving towards 
democracy".

In that respect, look at the EU. They have requirements for entering  (and 
no, I do not like everything they do, but that's not what we're discussing 
here) and most former dictatorships are eager to join, reforming in the 
process.

So, some will be left out of this organisation? They will want to be inside 
soon enough.
And if they do not, they can form their own Axis of Failure.

regards
Tore Jan Narvestad 

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Help save the life of a child.  Support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's
'Thanks & Giving.'
http://us.click.yahoo.com/6iY7fA/5WnJAA/Y3ZIAA/NYywlB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Speed_skating/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Speed_skating-unsubscribe@...

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/