From: Kai Becker (kmb@cameron.kn-bremen.de)
Date: Thu Jan 23 2003 - 17:57:58 MST
Am Donnerstag, 23. Januar 2003 18:42 schrieb Dickey, Michael F:
> "So far Bush is doing a very poor job convincing anybody that he is
> morally right in attacking Irak.
>
> The fact that Sadam is a murderous racist tyrant despotic dictator is
> moral justification enough.
This whole thing would be far more credible, if the US had shown or would
show real interest in the well-being of other countries. It is not very
convincing, when someone deals with non-democratic regimes (Chile,
Argentina, Nicaragua, Iran, Iraq) and groups like the Taliban and bin
Ladin on the one hand, and suddenly demands to be the moral leader
against just one other non-democratic regime, especially when exactly
this regime had been financially supported for years.
Even if Iraq has to be liberated from Saddam tyranny, that task is much
more complicated than just a military action game. The problem will be to
esablish a stable, democratic system, that will honor human rights.
Unfortunately, this is an idea, which is completely new in that region
and has no roots there. And even worse: the US has no interest in such a
development.
> This is NOT about 'cheap' oil so evil oil
> companies can profit, its about getting the cheapest most plentiful
> source of energy, in fact the second largest depository of it, out of
> the hands of a murderous despotic tyrant.
So what? What do you think can he possibly do with that oil? Does he have
any chance to make any money with it? Could he smuggle substancial
amounts of it out of the country? How? And who would pay for it?
But you are right. This is a question of who will control that oil. And
now take a guess. The US government pays 10-20 times its yearly amount of
developing aid for a war against a country with the worlds second largest
depository of the most important energy resource. It takes the risk of
starting a wildfire of violence in that region.
Would you believe, that this regime, with "US interests first" as its
prime directive, will implement a truly free and democratic political
system in Iraq, that will use the oil resources for the benefit of the
Iraqi people? What if the new regime in Bagdad plays well with the other
OPEC states? What if they want higher prices than the West wants to pay?
No, too many variables and no good excuses to come for a third time. This
war has to make sure, that the oil resources will be available for the
west (esp. the US) for a price as low as possible.
It is therefore much more plausible for me, that the political system in
Iraq after the next war will not be truly democratic, self-contained and
self-confident. I therefore don't buy the "war for freedom and democracy"
arguments.
Kai
--
== Kai M. Becker == kmb@cameron.kn-bremen.de == Bremen, Germany ==
"Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced"
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