Thoughts on the War
Posted by in War at 8:05 a.m. on March 23rd, 20030 Comments 0 Pings
I was surprised at my reaction today, as I read about the start of the much-awaited, much discussed military action against Iraq. I was a little saddened to think that the option of military pressure instead of military action hadn’t worked. With our demands of the unconditional departure of Hussein from power, it may have been a little overoptimistic to think that he wouldn’t sacrifice his people for power. He will.
Yes, we will win. Yes, we will kill Hussein, or take him prisoner, like Milosevic. Yes, he will rot in a cell for war crimes, including the worst gas attacks since World War I, if he survives. And yes, his people will eventually betray them. Already, they are preparing themselves to become hostages. It’s certainly not beyond Saddam to begin gassing his own people in order to extort the US into stopping their attacks. And yes, we will take the heat for that, too.
The relationships with Europe and Asia are being destroyed. The toppling of Hussein’s Iraq is a valid action on the part of the US, and should have been carried out by the UN 5 to 10 years ago. The true way here is that our allies support us, as we have supported them for over 50 years. There is absolutely no reason for the Europeans to ally themselves with Iraq as they have done, except to express latent anti-American sentiments that have been festering for years, probably since the Revolutionary War.
It is absolutely clear that the UN has failed here in their envisioned role as world police. They have been ineffectual and amazingly weak-handed in their dealings with Iraq. It’s all too clear now that those villains against whom the UN was charged to protect the world, are laughing themselves to tears. Resolutions, meetings, and condemnations mean absolutely nothing unless the UN is prepared to back them up with force. That’s called strategic deterrence, and it must first be believed to be effective. That is what we are doing in Iraq: We are doing the UN’s job for them.
It’s time to reconsider whether we will stay in the UN, and in Nato. I’m pretty convinced that Europe needs to busy itself with its own defence, if it’s not prepared to help other people with theirs.
I will say one thing more: If the US pulls out of Europe, I’m getting the fuck out of here. There’s a nice little bridge between the mideast and Europe, and there’s a mole inside the fence. Arc de Capitulation, indeed.
Yes, we will win. Yes, we will kill Hussein, or take him prisoner, like Milosevic. Yes, he will rot in a cell for war crimes, including the worst gas attacks since World War I, if he survives. And yes, his people will eventually betray them. Already, they are preparing themselves to become hostages. It’s certainly not beyond Saddam to begin gassing his own people in order to extort the US into stopping their attacks. And yes, we will take the heat for that, too.
The relationships with Europe and Asia are being destroyed. The toppling of Hussein’s Iraq is a valid action on the part of the US, and should have been carried out by the UN 5 to 10 years ago. The true way here is that our allies support us, as we have supported them for over 50 years. There is absolutely no reason for the Europeans to ally themselves with Iraq as they have done, except to express latent anti-American sentiments that have been festering for years, probably since the Revolutionary War.
It is absolutely clear that the UN has failed here in their envisioned role as world police. They have been ineffectual and amazingly weak-handed in their dealings with Iraq. It’s all too clear now that those villains against whom the UN was charged to protect the world, are laughing themselves to tears. Resolutions, meetings, and condemnations mean absolutely nothing unless the UN is prepared to back them up with force. That’s called strategic deterrence, and it must first be believed to be effective. That is what we are doing in Iraq: We are doing the UN’s job for them.
It’s time to reconsider whether we will stay in the UN, and in Nato. I’m pretty convinced that Europe needs to busy itself with its own defence, if it’s not prepared to help other people with theirs.
I will say one thing more: If the US pulls out of Europe, I’m getting the fuck out of here. There’s a nice little bridge between the mideast and Europe, and there’s a mole inside the fence. Arc de Capitulation, indeed.