Quote:
Originally posted by Barry the Sprout:
One minor point; whlst you are right that the strongest excuse for war was the removal of a dictator it should be made clear that that wasn't the legal basis for the war, or the primary motivation of what public support it managed to garner. The war was not justified by an appeal to human rights but by "evidence" of WMD, and it was only after the weapons failed to materialise that the justification shifted.
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Yes, I am aware of that. Disarming the WOMD was the official excuse for the war, removing the tyrannous was the popular objective while obtaining oil was the real reason behind the war. I'm probably wrong about the latter point though. [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]
Quote:
Originally posted by Barry the Sprout:
Just a brief question for the pro-war crowd - if the war was about liberating people from oppressive regimes can we expect to see tanks rolling into Moscow to stop the persecution of the Chechnyans? Into Israel to stop the persecution of the Palestinians? Somehow I doubt it...
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While I'm not exactly pro-war, I'd like to answer that.
First of all, America, in its current state, doesn't seem to be ready for another war, let alone angering the rest of the world any more than it has by now. It would be foolish to continue with another country at this point. In that sense, USA has done its democratic deed for this time.
Though I can see where you're coming from - War on Iraq certainly wasn't a perfect descision. It had its share of flaws. Why not attack some other country?
Second, both of the examples you put would mean stepping into an already existing conflict between two different peoples. I'm not sure about stopping the persecution of the Palestinians but attempting to stop the persecution of the Chechenyans would definitely be too bold. It could in fact provoke another Cold War.
Why not attack some other country? - Why not attack Iraq? In the scale of countries ruled by terrorists and generally bad people, it seems to have a relatively low risk factor (compared to other similar ventures) while bringing democracy to a lot of people.
Though yes, the question of "Why attack any country at all?" lingers quietly amidst the shadows.. [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]
Quote:
Originally posted by johnny:
I think you think too much. 
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That's for sure!
This is me on a Saturday afternoon with nothing to keep me occupied. [img]graemlins/awcrap.gif[/img]
[ 04-30-2005, 11:54 AM: Message edited by: uss ]