Can we just turn our backs?

[langeweile]

http://www.phrusa.org/research/chemical_weapons/chemiraqgas2.html

In the midst of all the discussion over WMD's, Oil,WAR, etc....

We can't forget what saddam did to his own people. The main question in my mind is. At what point do we stop talking and go into action? Or should we go in to action at all?and just turn our backs?
We are turning our backs today on the Sudan.

 

[wakeman]

You can add Congo (Kinshasa), Thibet, Yemen, Palestine and so many others. Is there really an answer to your question?

W.

 

[Legolas]

Let's nor forget the UN trying to ignore Sudan.

 

[Thetis]

As sad as it is to say, we should not get involved, just look at Iraq, are they really better off, now that they are "liberated"?

through out history it is shown that the only way a country will change is when the people have had enough and make a change for themselves, its not up to the west to ram our ideologies down their throats, especially when it comes to religious states.

Regardless of what we think, they will eventually find their own paths.

But alas its hard not to get invloved when most of these countries at one time or another bought weapons from the western governments to kill each other.

 

[langeweile]

I wasn't expecting a solution.
The biggest thing I have learned from this, is that you can't seperate politics from humanity. Maybe i was too blue eyed thinking, that one could.
The other thing that i Learned is, that most people responding are taking the easy way out and just blame the USA.
For me that is too easy of a solution, but if it makes you sleep better, who am i to judge.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Langeweile,

That is what everyone does - blame the USA. The USA is blamed by the Palestinians for the continuation of the conflict with Israel. When the USA intervenes it is wrong and when the USA does not intervene the USA is supposedly wrong in not intervening. We are the lightning rod for all of the world's problems. However many of these countries need to stop playing the blame game and take a good look at themselves. Notably the Palestinians who have had inept, disorganized and divided leadership from day 1 which has failed to get anything constructive accomplished. The Palestinians could, should and would have had an independent state of some kind a long time ago were it not for the fact that their leaders are unable to control the radical elements who want to destroy Israel. This is undeniable fact and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to go to Second Cup, order 3 expressos and start getting in touch with reality. However the USA takes the blame anyway. It is very easy to point a finger as SL does but not so easy to create solutions to some of these problems.

 

[Onthebottom]

Think about this

The ambassador from Iran was on the Charlie Rose show last week (PBS in the States). He outright said that Iraq was better off without Saddam and while he though the invasion was "illegal" that it would be better for the Iraqi people. Remember, this is a government that has no relationship with the US, is under US sanctions and is fighting with the US over nuclear power/weapons (depending on who you believe). Not exactly a US lap dog.

You have to get over it, any way you slice it the world is safer and the people are better off. We're just 200b poorer.

OTB

 

[Onthebottom]

Originally posted by curious
Considering the number of Iranians Saddam killed (the U.S. helped him do it by providing satellite imaging) it's not surprising that he would feel that way. Yes, it was good to get rid of Saddam, but there were other ways to do it. A civil war in Iraq will not improve the quality of life there.

The world is not safer as North Korea, Iran and possibly others are acquiring nuclear weapons while we are bogged down in Iraq. Military resourses that have been committed to Iraq could be better deployed in homeland defense.

We're leading the multilateral effort on both North Korea and Iran so I don't understand your point. The administration is proposing to permanently move 70k troops from Europe and Asia back to the US. I don't think we are short of troops in the US for homeland security, we're lacking good intelligence.

OTB

 

[Jaxon]

There are a lot of situations that should get attention, but there is a limit to resources. Ignoring the situation of the Darfur region is shameful. As far as Iraq goes, its not so much if Iraq would have been better off with out the US invasion. Iraq would've been better off without Saddam and if the vision of a "free and democratic Iraq setting forth a shining example in the Arab world" would materialize. Iraq would have been better off after the US invasion. The Bush Administration bungled the job of securing the country and keeping the peace. The begining of the screwup began about day 4 of the invasion after a gang robbed the Iraqi National Museum. Its been worse off than before the invasion ever since.