> > The point at issue, that Yoshie herself articulated, is opposition to
> > comparisons with Hitler and fascism. My view is that there are indeed
> > comparisons, and comparisons with the imperialist policy of
> > appeasement
> > before World War II.
>
> Barkley was right in an earlier post -- saying in essence that this is
> the battle of the wars, WWII vs. Vietnam. Having spent my formative
> years in the anti(Vietnam)war movement, I look at what's happening in
> Kosovo and think of one word, escalation, and all the evils that
> followed in its train 30 years ago. Chris (and much of the UK, I
> gather) look at Kosovo and have the exact same reflex, substituting
> "appeasement" for "escalation" and reflecting on events of 60 years ago.
>
> Well, Vietnam may be a lost war for the U.S., but I think it is the
> *winning* precedent here. IMO, the dangers of escalation in the
> Balkans far outweigh those of appeasement.
I agree with Carl.
The main thrust of the poem I posted last week was remembrance of what we were being told to forget. "Escalation" is only part of it for me. More prominent for me was the fact THAT we're being told to forget -- and how that plays into the ways we so readily BECAME the monsters we were SUPPOSED to be slaying.
I would be far more open to the WWII argument if it could hold its own in the media with a truthful memory of Vietnam.
Of coure, NOTHING in US foreign policy can hold its own with a truthful memory of Vietnam. This doesn't mean, therefore, an automatic rejection of EVERYTHING in US foreign policy (99.44% would be about right). It just means that we've got to do the job of truthfully remembering Vietnam for ourselves AS AN INTEGRAL PART of considering any current situation.
BTW, WWI has some striking parallels to Vietnam so far as America's involvement is concerned... and the disasterous consequences for domestic politics of believing our own rhetoric about bringing the light of democracy to the rest of the world. As one who believes quite ferverently in that ideal, I would NEVER entrust it to an American "army of liberation." The best way to spread that light is to turn it on ourselves (double meaning fully intended.)
-- Paul Rosenberg Reason and Democracy rad at gte.net
"Let's put the information BACK into the information age!"