jkavafian Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 Flax, Get off your high horse buddy. I don't need you to judge me cause you certainly ain't qualified. The attack on Syria was a sarcastic comment but you certainly have the IQ to figure that one out, don't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neo Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 Brilliant comments, Pete. The destabilizing impact of wars of this sort, even limited ones, has been demonstated time and again. The subsequent events are unpredictable, and often tragic beyond any positive benefit that the engagement could have brought. I hope things turn out well for the Iraqis, but I'm not hopeful, if you know what I mean. More likely, the U.S. has opened a Pandora's Box. And as in the past, it's the people in that region who will continue to suffer the consequences for a long time to come. You cannot impose, or even give, democracy to another nation that's not ready for it. Democracy is a societal attainment; it comes from the people themselves as an internal choice. Believing that a fundamental western value can be imposed on an Arabic country as complex as Iraq where the dominant ethnic group is a fundamentalist Muslim sect... this is the height of hubris and folly. But don't expect the American leaders to see or admit to that reality at any time, let alone soon. After bombing Vietnam and Cambodia, "back into the Stone Age," Henry Kissinger went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. To those who are starting to see the injustice in this current war, my advice is, you haven't seen anything yet. neo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flax Posted April 23, 2003 Share Posted April 23, 2003 I'm not on any high horse. Clearly you now regret your statement regarding Syria and you have elected to attribute it to sarcasm. From reading your past posts and your 'expert' views regarding the aviation business in Canada... I can guarantee that i have a higher IQ than yourself. I noticed that you haven't defended your assertion that David Collenette is the smartest men you have ever met. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Contrived Chaos Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 Both the war against Afghanistan and Iraq is simply to surround the most dangerous country in the area. Iran is the prime target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEFCON Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 "You cannot impose, or even give, democracy to another nation that's not ready for it. Democracy is a societal attainment; it comes from the people themselves as an internal choice." Germany and perhaps more to the counter point, Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neo Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Those two examples are why I added the, "...that's not ready for it..." qualifier to that statement. Democracy is a Western invention, and it may not be right for every culture. Germany was able to incorporate it, and it thrives there now as far as I can tell. Japan had it imposed as well, but the results look less like Western democracy and more like an Eastern oligarchy. However, they are successful nonetheless. My minor point being, maybe democracy isn't the best answer for everyone? neo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEFCON Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 "My minor point being, maybe democracy isn't the best answer for everyone?" Agreed. Do you believe the north american example can be deemed a success and worthy as an example for other non-democratic countries to follow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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