Some people have asked what I think about this war. Read a bit of my thoughts. They may be totally off, they are just casual observations.
Now to the war. I don't believe that Saddam has the ability to deliver chemical or biological weapons as far as Israel or even over the border into Saudi Arabia for that matter. I do believe that he has the ability to use them in the battlefield though I don't believe that he has very much to use. So I think we might hear of some US troops being attacked with mustard gas but don't think we'll hear of them being hit with small pox.
I'm all for getting rid of Saddam but don't think that the US has made their case. They've been trying to come up with all sorts of arguments for this war and I don't believe most of what the Bush administration has said. Also I think that this war is basically happening for two reasons. First because we have a Bush in the white house and he has surrounded himself with all the people responsible for the failure of his father in the first war with Iraq. Second because the US is wholly incapable of dealing with al-Qaeda-style terrorists and they need to do something to show the world, but more to reassure themselves, that they are the supreme military force in the world and can do whatever they want whenever they want. This is an important thing in general but I think they are surprised that the rest of the world isn't jumping on the bandwagon. I think that North Korea is much more of a threat to the US and the world but time will tell.
What do you think?
Posted by David at March 18, 2003 06:21 PMI agree with you pretty much... but don't forget about the oil fields.
And regarding Korea, have you heard that South Korea has vowed to end their alliance with the US should the US attack North Korea... could it be possible we will see a united korea again?
You asked what I think, hmmm... One thought is how is it that we were going head on for Osada Bin Laden and somehow jerk gears to Sadam Hussein again? I am very patriotic and will support the President of the United States 100%, but I am just not sure how we got back to Sadam Hussein. I do not keep up with the world news as much as I should of course but it just seems like taking steps back instead of forward due to the detour to Iraq.
David, I find your comments and perceptions about this war very interesting. Particularly so because it comes from someone who lives in a nation that is, perhaps, even more threatened by Saddam Hussein than is mine, the US. I gather, from your comments, that there is as much scepticism about this whole affair in Israel as there is here in the US. Obviously we are both influenced, as is most everyone else, by what we've read in the press. With all that said, however, I think that yours is a rather simplistic view of what this war is all about.
You talk about the "failure" of the senior Bush and the need for the son to "make up" for the mistakes of his father. While hindsight is always 100% accurate, I don't think that we in the US would have characterized this as a "failure". While we could've done it and should've done it ten or so years ago, at the time, it seemed to most of us that not going after Saddam seemed like the right thing to do. It is indeed an over-simplification to believe that this is one of the "basic reasons" for this war.
What you describe as your second reason, I believe, comes closer to my way of thinking about this war. It is, however, not so much this country's need for reassurance that we are a supreme military force (there's really no point in proving that) as it is a reaction to the tragic events of September 11. Certainly I would imagine that one who lives in Israel can understand this. Our government has made a major shift in the way it deals with the threat of terrorism in the world. We've gone from a policy of "containment" to one of "preemption". And, while I'm not one who agrees with this policy I can certainly understand why it has come about and why so many people here and elsewhere support it. What is unfortunate, perhaps, is not so much the policy but the people who have been charged to implement it.
Perhaps the one ray of hope in all of this is that the problem can be resolved quickly and without further loss of life. Following that we can only hope that the majority of good citizens in this country will realize and understand the mistakes that our government has made and, having the opportunity next year, replace the current administration with one better able to handle such a complex situation.
Evan
Posted by: Evan Reader at March 25, 2003 02:44 AM