June 26, 2004
NATO?
Um, someone explain me the reasoning behind trying to use NATO to push security forces into Iraq? As much as I still feel like the right thing is being done in Iraq, I don't think NATO should be involved. The US decided to go in there alone, then we should be sticking in there alone and seeing the whole process through. Bush needs to quit trying to appease voters and do what he thinks is right.
In regards to the recent beheading of the South Korean in Iraq ... it's one of the first moments I felt truly 'disgusted.' Sure, I had seen the Nick Berg and the second beheading video ... but this one felt "different." Is it because the South Koreans really didn't ask to be there? I'm not sure. We'll never really know ...
... but, kudos to the South Korean government for not succumbing to the demands of the terrorist group. It's a tough decision, but the South Koreans have always been quite a reliable ally to the United States even during the many foreign policy blunders that have checkered the US' history over the past 50 years (did you know the South Koreans had the second largest foreign Army in Vietnam, second only to the US? This was done as a token of appreciation for the US/UN-led intervention during the Korean War.
I mentioned a few days ago that I talked to the 7th/8th grader class about some political issues. One of the questions they asked is WHY, on a humantiarian level, so many Americans supported to the Iraq war. It's hard to explain subtle politics to 7th/8th graders in rudimentary English, but I explained that with the mess that is the Middle East, most idealistic Americans would like to see a strong stabilized democratic nation in the Middle East to help move the Arabic nations away from despotism towards some sort of democratic system (note that this has *nothing* to do with uprooting Islam) ... in the same way the Americans helped the Koreans during the Korean War when we were "fighting" communism, our current 'war' is against terrorism. But, unlike Communism, terrorism is a real threat that every country is affected by. Most European nations (France, Spain, England) are afflicted by terrorism (Algerians, Basque separatists, IRA), as are various other nations across the world.
In that same way, we hope that getting helping Iraq get into the democratic way-of-life will yield us great benefits (just like helping the S. Koreans 50 years ago helped to create the prosperous S. Korea state today).
Disclaimer: I realize there's a lot of nuances that make the Korean War with the Gulf War II different, but the general humanitarian ideals are the same. We believe that in helping, we can help build a better future.
In regards to the recent beheading of the South Korean in Iraq ... it's one of the first moments I felt truly 'disgusted.' Sure, I had seen the Nick Berg and the second beheading video ... but this one felt "different." Is it because the South Koreans really didn't ask to be there? I'm not sure. We'll never really know ...
... but, kudos to the South Korean government for not succumbing to the demands of the terrorist group. It's a tough decision, but the South Koreans have always been quite a reliable ally to the United States even during the many foreign policy blunders that have checkered the US' history over the past 50 years (did you know the South Koreans had the second largest foreign Army in Vietnam, second only to the US? This was done as a token of appreciation for the US/UN-led intervention during the Korean War.
I mentioned a few days ago that I talked to the 7th/8th grader class about some political issues. One of the questions they asked is WHY, on a humantiarian level, so many Americans supported to the Iraq war. It's hard to explain subtle politics to 7th/8th graders in rudimentary English, but I explained that with the mess that is the Middle East, most idealistic Americans would like to see a strong stabilized democratic nation in the Middle East to help move the Arabic nations away from despotism towards some sort of democratic system (note that this has *nothing* to do with uprooting Islam) ... in the same way the Americans helped the Koreans during the Korean War when we were "fighting" communism, our current 'war' is against terrorism. But, unlike Communism, terrorism is a real threat that every country is affected by. Most European nations (France, Spain, England) are afflicted by terrorism (Algerians, Basque separatists, IRA), as are various other nations across the world.
In that same way, we hope that getting helping Iraq get into the democratic way-of-life will yield us great benefits (just like helping the S. Koreans 50 years ago helped to create the prosperous S. Korea state today).
Disclaimer: I realize there's a lot of nuances that make the Korean War with the Gulf War II different, but the general humanitarian ideals are the same. We believe that in helping, we can help build a better future.
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HK1997
HK1997
So what is Iraq? Treatment for the symptom or an attempt to cure the disease? Hard to say.
roy
As you say, terrorism is a symptom for a terrible regime ... but it\'s still a global problem that goes against civilized nature. We need to address it somehow.
Although Bush *may* (or may not) be taking the right path down, at least we\'re making progress. I would much rather us go down the wrong path now rather than sit around for 8 years and let the problem come to us (that was a small jab at Clinton). At least this way, we know what we did was wrong and then go down the right path eventually :)
HK1997
To us, it\'s one big problem. But we forget that Palestine/Israel, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, & Chechnya, Algeria, Croatia/Bosnia, Ireland, Spain, & France all have their own gripes. It\'s like whenever you mention Africa, we forget that it\'s made up of over 60 individual countries. Yet when you say AIDs or famine, we don\'t single out any particular country. We just say Africa.
You have to fix every body part with a different treatment. You can\'t just take care of it with one pill.
The Iraq problem is too big to use the trial and error tactic. This is a place where you have to get it right the first time. Because the bitterness still remains after their country was punked by the British.
We go in there and fail to have a prepared solution to the problems (looting, tribal/sectorial conflicts, insurgency, etc) that we see now.
Going in unprepared makes the problem worse. Being unprepared (not knowing the culture, etc)- especially in a proud Arab country - is the wrong way.
So there really isn\'t much of a difference between sitting around for 8 years and going in like a cowboy. We\'re still asses. :)
benwebber
They should not lie about progress being made, and pretend all is well. Have you noticed they\'ve stopped reporting deaths? They are employing a crude form of censorship, they are trying to keep patriotism alive. They are trying to hide a $5 trillion defecit (I\'m lost in what the real numbers are, some say $3 trillion, some say $7 trillion).
When the United States openly expressed its distaste in France, and to a lesser degree Canada, for not joining the war effort, people starting questioning the basis of the war.
Let\'s face it: the Middle East is a mess. There is no way you can have three major religions occupying the same space and claiming the same Holy Land. For the most part, bringing peace to the Middle East is impossible. Leaders are not willing to negotiate with other leaders, and the most rudimentary (and, to some extent, effective) form of expression—violence—is used to meet demands.
Not the answer, folks. I agree with you that terrorism is a major problem worldwide. According to the Bush Administration, they invaded (yes, down with the eupemisms) Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction.
Have they found any? No. Have they found a direct link between Al Qaeda and the Bath? No, at least, they haven\'t released so publicly.
You just have to put trust in the fact that they most likely know a helluva lot more than we do, and that the reasons for doing whatever they\'re thinking up are justified.
Ugh, that was really poorly written. I\'m going to bed.