-----Mensagem original----- De: owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com [mailto:owner-lbo-talk at lists.panix.com]Em nome de Brad De Long Enviada em: quinta-feira, 6 de julho de 2000 00:27 Para: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Assunto: Re: Fwd: Truth is the First Casualty of War
>Assertion that US was 'forced' into war in defense of some 'moral
>principle' is bullshit. Some of same folks making this assertion were
>willing to consider tolerating continental Europe controlled by Nazis as
>more than one US leader considered Hitler useful check against Soviets
>(some admired Hitler).
Not Roosevelt--who is the guy we are talking about.
>As for what Japan wanted from US in late 1940 in exchange for abandoning
>China objectives, resumption of regular trade relations that US formally
>halted when it refused to negotiate renewal of 1911 trade treaty between
>two countries. Upon treaty end FDR administration began to impose
>commercial/economic restrictions.
Hence the Japanese responded by attacking China? This makes no sense at all...
Brad DeLong
-Maybe both of you are right. It´s very difficult to believe that the USA -entered the war in defense of moral principles. In fact, moral principles -simply doesn´t count to imperialist countries. The USA´s history proves -this very well, since there was simply no worrying about human rights, -democracy and other values when US national interests were at risk. -On the other hand, FDR (and Churchill) understood very well that their -countries were threatened by Germany and that this nation would become -invincible if Hitler was able to defeat the USSR. At the same time, the -prospects of a great Japanese empire in Asia were intolerable to USA, since -it would close the Pacific commerce to USA. So those countries entered the -war to defend their own interests. As a colateral effect, they saved the -world from fascism (the USSR also did it, by the way), althought the UK, -with it´s horrendous record of human rights in India, was probably not in -very good position to teach human rights to Japan or, and the same -could be said about USA (racism, slavery and genocide of native population) -And about the USSR....
Alexandre