--- Chris Kromm <ckromm at mindspring.com> wrote:
> The "we broke it, we should fix it" position -- in
> all its permutations -- relies on the astonishly
> naive faith that U.S. forces will do anything
> approximating "fixing it" if they stay. That may be
> the happy vision of a few generous souls on this
> list, but bears no resemblance to the agenda of the
> U.S. occupiers, who happen to be the ones calling
> the shots for the forseeable future.
>
> Bremer has been very clear about the mission of the
> occupation: to fully transform Iraq into a country
> hospitable to multinational corporate interests.
> This isn't ultra-left propaganda. At a recent talk,
> Bremer specifically said the U.S. "would not leave"
> until barriers to foreign investment were
> dismantled; oil, water and other vital industries
> and resources were privatized, and the country was
> otherwise handed over to multinational capital. That
> is the driving aim -- and will be the only
> consequence -- of continued occupation.
>
> Of course Iraq and Vietnam are very, very different.
> But the content of the Chomsky quote I originally
> posted, I think, remains irrefutable. What will
> happen if the U.S. ends the occupation and leaves is
> anybody's guess. But we *know* that continued
> occupation is a recipe for violence, exploitation
> and death, and will fuel anti-U.S. sentiment, making
> us less secure.
>
> Occupation also has the disadvantage of being
> against self-determination and other left values.
> "Internationalism" sounds nice (nicer than
> "imperialism"), but has gone wrong as frequently as
> (or probably more than) it's gone right. On the
> left, we'd do well to set the bar very high in
> making the case for intervention. Strategically, I
> think great sections of the U.S. population are now
> ready to be mobilized around the idea that we must
> Get Out Now.
>
> So I'll stand by the slogan: U.S. Out of Iraq!
>
> Chris Kromm
> Free Iraq!
> www.unitedforpeace.org
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