[lbo-talk] Re: Bring Them Home Now: Leaflets & Website (from Stan Goff)

andie nachgeborenen andie_nachgeborenen at yahoo.com
Tue Jul 22 16:47:46 PDT 2003


All this is hypothetical because in the real real world, as I reminded Yoshie, the US is not leaving Iraq. But it would be good if it did and let the UN or someone relatively disinterested step in to provide basic police, fire, and other essential social services for bit, preferably at no-strings US expense, at least until the Iraqis get back on their feet. This is not a situation like Vietnam where when the US pulled out there was another govt to step in. It's one of the peculiarly damaging things about these latest rounds of imperialist attacks that they are destructive of the whole social fabric. Our opposition cannot fail to recognize that. The recognition is not a license to do more or stay longer. It does impose a requirement that something be done by someone. Ultimately that will have to be Iraqis. Immediately, it appears, it cannot be the Iraqis. jks

--- John Mage <jmage at panix.com> wrote:
> justin writes:
> > That's unfair, John; I am certain that Nathan is
> not arguing for
> > continued US occupation. He is rather pointing
> out that a simple
> > withdrawal, without making some sort of
> arrangements through the UN
> > or theArab League or someone for the provision of
> basic services and
> > an interim administration in the nation whose
> govt we have now ruined
> > would lkead toa narchy in the bad sense, mere
> chaos. jks
>
> To argue against withdrawing the occupation forces
> is to argue for a
> continued occupation. As it is the occupation forces
> are daily killing
> (without judicial process) and daily are getting
> killed. It might get
> worse or it might get better were this lawless
> occupation immediately to
> end. There is nothing inadequate about the Iraqis
> that guarantees it
> would get worse. No-one can say they will permit
> their neighbors to
> starve. It's not up to Nathan (or Dr. Dean) to
> decide that it's in the
> best interests of the Iraqis that the occupation
> continue. The argument
> that such a decision has been made by the Iraqis
> themselves can't be
> made by anyone wishing to be taken seriously.
>
> Of course no arrangements of the sort you suggest
> can be made without US
> agreement, so once the US decides to carry out a
> complete, immediate and
> unilateral withdrawal from Iraq such arrangements
> would follow as night
> the day. But to call for a continued occupation
> until such arrangements
> are made (which the US can prevent at will) gives a
> blank check to the
> aggressor states to continue the occupation.
>
> john mage
>
>
> ___________________________________
>
http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk

__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list