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March 29, 2003 - 4:07 PM
THE WAR
THE WAR
I wasn't going to talk about the war. I really wasn't. The "debates" in the media and certainly on Diaryland are for the most part boring. Whether diplomacy should have been pursued further or not doesn't matter - American and British troops are in Iraq engaging in armed conflict with the objective being ousting Saddam Hussein. People can protest, people can dissent, but it is happening anyway and it won't end until America wins or loses (Vietnam didn't end until Washington, D.C. was quite sure that they were losing).
But earlier today I happened to read Hapithoughts who experienced a little conflict of her own with Herkinerf. I felt that Herkinerf was displaying a bit of reactionary patriotism. The kind of patriotism that scares me like religious fanaticism does. She got pretty ugly when Hapithoughts presented an opposing view. She has since calmed down and acknowledged that she more or less flew off the handle.
Between reading Herkinerf's original post and all the subsequent notes, I was inspired to write her a letter. I was going to put it in her notes, but it got too long. Then I was going to email her (and copy Hapithoughts) but then I decided to just post it as a diary entry and open my thoughts up to the scrutiny of the internet denizens (I am asking for trouble).
It is below. It is long and probably boring. You don't have to read it. I probably wouldn't if I were you.
Oh, and just as a bit of trivia – one of the first American POWs taken in Iraq was a schoolmate of mine. He was a freshman when I was a senior in high school. He wasn't someone I knew and he wasn't anyone I remembered. On the morning when they disclosed the names of the POWs I went to my high school year book to take a look at him. He's looks like just another geeky 14 year old boy with an 80s haircut and big glasses. Strangely enough he is wearing a camouflage military jacket in the picture. Brought everything a little bit closer to home...
If you are going to acknowledge that France supplied Saddam with weapons, you should also acknowledge that America supplied Saddam with weapons as well during the Iran/Iraq war (he has also used them against the Kurds). America also supplied the Afghanis (the Northern Alliance and the Taliban) with weapons during Afghanistan's war with the USSR.
America is funny about decided who is an enemy and when they are an enemy. Sometimes it seems that the decision is made on the whim of the current U.S. administration. Although I also know determination of an enemy is dependant on world events.
True, Saddam has ignored the U.N. in regards to disarming. But I find it ironic (and disturbing) that the weapons the U.N. is concerned about are the weapons that the U.S. and Europe gave to Saddam in the first place. The most unfortunate thing is that the U.S. and Europe assisted this person who has proven himself to be a blood-thirsty dictator who treats the citizens of his country worse then people treat rats. This is one of the reasons I do not believe this war is about oil. I believe this war is more about saving face.
Did the U.S. and Europe know how terrible Saddam really was back in the 80s? I don't know. But much of the blood of the Iraqi's is (to some degree) on the hands of the U.S. government who now feels compelled to clean up the mess.
If the U.S. troops prevail and win this conflict, who will they put into power? How does Washington, D.C. know the people that are left to the task of ruling Iraq will not turn out to be as bad as Saddam? There are a lot of bad rulers in this world. Many of them helped into power by powerful nations like the U.S. How America decides which messes to clean up is a mystery to me. Should the U.S. clean up all the messes? If America is only going to go after some of these horrible leaders, how does it decide which ones?
If Saddam is defeated, I doubt the Iraqis will be left to rule themselves for quite a while. Just like Japan was an occupied nation after WWII, Iraq will be occupied. The occupation will probably not last forever, but it might last for a decade, maybe more. I don't believe it will sit well with the larger population of the Mid-east. Whether the U.S. is justified or not, whether America wins or loses, many nations see Washington, D.C. as an aggressor, especially Mid-eastern nations. If nothing else, this war will probably accomplish assuring that the U.S. will be universally hated by people in Arab nations.
I believe that deep down what the peace protesters are really against is America setting themselves up for these conflicts.
I am not taking a strong stance either way on this war with Iraq (or should it really be called the war with Saddam?) because I see too many sides of the issue. Mostly I see how the U.S. is not such a paragon of virtue. Just because I enjoy many freedoms in America does not make America unquestionably correct on all world issues.
Lastly, I don't believe it is impossible to support the troops without supporting the war. I do not categorize myself as someone who supports the war, however I do support the men and women that make up our armed forces (I also have relatives in the military). I won't support them by taking up the battle-flag. I won't support them by attaching American flags to my (fuel efficient) car. And I won't support them by blindly following my leaders unquestioningly. What I will do is contribute to drives that supply military personnel with small comforts like instant coffee, razors, CDs, little things that will make those men and women know that they are appreciated for risking their lives. (whether or not the cause is justified).
Please be aware that when I refer to "the U.S." and "America" and "Washington, D.C." and am mostly referring to U.S. governmental authorities. (i.e. president, senators, etc.)
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