> By MARC COOPER
>
> But the left must also be vigilant against any attempt by the Bush
> administration and its most right-wing allies to expand this war into
> an undefined, indeterminate and ultimately self-defeating global
> crusade. There is no military solution to terrorism: There is only a
> military component.
>
> Likewise, only the left can push for an authentic internationalism
> that would include strengthening the United Nations, as well as new
> venues of global justice like the International Criminal Court.
This is actually pretty sensible. Cooper is probably being slightly unfair when he reproves the peace protesters for being less media-savvy than he'd like them to be, but his general point is much the same as Eric Chauvistre's comment in the Taz (http://www.taz.de/pt/2001/10/15/a0011.nf/text):
"While perfect answers for a solution of the complex problem of terrorism are expected from a few full-time activists and a handful of peace-researchers, the governments and military establishments, outfitted with all imaginable financial and human resources, are supposed to wage a war without any foreseeable end-point, without having to set out any coherent solutions of their own. That is why it is justifiable to call for a reversal of the burden of proof: whoever praises the military as a universal remedy, needs to ask themselves, how the war is supposed to guarantee success." (my translation)
We need truly global institutions of peace, justice and equity for all. Somewhere, somehow, there's a tremendous opportunity for the multinational Left waiting here, though I'm not sure how to put it into words, and maybe only the EU comrades are in a position to see it...
-- Dennis