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April 04, 2003
The lesser of two evils
Judging from the private response I got to my last post there is a pretty diverse range of opinions out there. Which is fine. No one has yet convinced me though that this war was something to be supported. Being afraid to state an opinion either way, that I can understand, but going with the flow... now that's scary. Sure, the bombs are a long way away, for some of us, but how many regrettable historical precedents have been set like that, by looking the other way?
First, this was a war against so-called harborers of global terrorism. Then when that didn't stand up in court, it became a war against people who have weapons of mass destruction. Inconveniently, most of these weapons had been provided by so-called "globally responsible" leaders like Thatcher. Then it became a war of "liberation" for the people of Iraq! Hooray! So what if a few cluster bombs have to be dropped. It's all worth it for the future. Exactly who's future are we talking about?
If what that means is simply "the West" expanded eastward, our virally replicated values and beliefs, and an extension to the reach of global enterprises and the monoculture mentality, then somebody's god help us all. White boys in power does not a democracy make.
Now back to my regular schedule as an apolitical person sitting uneasily on the fence.
John Bradley sums it up well in Arab News.
... perhaps the only honest statement to make under the circumstances is that you don’t honestly know what to think. Of course, the problem with this is that the world now wants only the fog of war to be lifted by a whirlwind of simple answers and deceptively short-term solutions.
Posted by .M. at April 4, 2003 05:32 PM
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