It is all about Oil [WAS Re: [CLUE-Talk] Traitors, Cowards, Scoundrels, and Intelligent Dissenters]

[Jeffery Cann]

On Monday 31 March 2003 09:55 pm, Randy Arabie wrote:
<snip>

> As far as addressing the root causes of terrorism, that is a much more
> complex matter.  I tend to agree with some of the points made in this
> analysis:
>
> http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/archives_roll/2002_07-09/radu_futile/radu
>_futile.html

Randy,

Thanks for the link.  I'll check it out.  I think this is paramount to 
actually _preventing_ terrorism, now and in the future.  I don't think 
bombing Iraq will do anything long term and I think it will cause more 
terrorist acts againts our country and its citizens.  Why aren't the pro-war 
folks talking about this possibility?

> Answer to 3a) - Your primary arguement against this seems to be that the
> Bush administration cannot predict the future, and therefore this war
> isn't worth the gamble.  

Since I didn't state it simply, here it goes:

I am afraid that this war will cause more long-term harm than short-term gain.  
I think it will foster more dissent and anti-American sentiment in the world, 
particularly the Muslim world.  Each day, I read and view news reports from 
other middle eastern countries that are burning flags and effigys of Bush, 
etc.  Given that these people are oppressed by dictatorships, misinformed by 
their government-controlled media outlets, how won't our attack of Iraq add 
to their fervor?  Do we simply need to liberate the entire middle east, so 
those countries will become democratic?

Will the act of foisting democracy on Iraq will change the minds of these 
dissidents?  This is the risk I was writing about in my last post.  I don't 
think it will pay off.

> Your other arguement is that the prosepect of this war brining lasting
> peace in the Middle East is "highly unlikely according to most middle
> east experts". Perhaps the experts are right.  But I was convinced that
> the war was justifiable before the arguement that "it will bring peace
> to the middle east" was made.

What are the reason(s) that you believe this war is justified?

> I do think bringing democracy to Iraq will help foster peace in the
> Middle East.  

You make this statement without giving me something to change my mind.  Is 
this just your opinion or is there some reason you think it?

Finally, let me state that one of the reasons I don't think democracy will 
take hold in Iraq is the huge cultural differences among the peoples of Iraq. 
When I think about Iraq versus three commonly-cited democracies (USA, Japan, 
Germany), I think that building a legitimate democracy in a heterogenous 
cultural environment is more challenging, if not impossible.

Later,
Jeff
-- 
Life is a tie. In the end, no one wins. 
 -- Oswald Neimo