[lbo-talk] Their Own Middle Ages

[Carrol Cox]

I just picked up a bit from Garcia Marquez that I think gives some point
to the anti-war position of "Out Now -- no conditions." The sentence
from Marquez, spoken by Bolivar in "El general y la fiebre":  "Déjennos 
vivir nuestra propia Edad Media en paz" (roughly translated as "Let
[foreign powers and foreigners in general] leave us in peace to live
through our own Middle Ages."

No nation can be guided through its middle ages (or any other set of
negative conditions) by a foreign power, no matter how well intentioned,
and it is undemonstrated that U.S. has ever been well intentioned since
the surrender of Lee. This does not deny the U.S. role in WW 2, but does
question whether the desirable results had much to do with U.S.
intentions. Since then there have not even been accidental good results
from u.s. foreign or military policy.

Carrol