[lbo-talk] i've never seen anything like this

Stephen E Philion philion at hawaii.edu
Thu Jul 8 12:08:47 PDT 2004


Luke wrote: No, I think most Iraqis are intimately familiar with what the last 20 years of Saddam's rule, even if they weren't born yet.

--familiar yes, much like you and I are familiar with the upheaval during the 60's, say. But, I'm much more familiar with how life has been the last few years. In fact, I'm much more impacted by how life has been the last year or 6 months, as is most of America. Most Americans are far less nervous about not supporting the US military now than they were almost 3 years ago. That doesn't mean 911 isn't in their consciousness, but it's not nearly as deep as it once was. Ditto Iraq. Most Iraqis are more deeply informed by the social fact that the last 5 odd years did not see the kinds of massacres that delight western liberals to no end to recount and recount and recount as justification for invasion of weak countries. ---------------------------------------- As I've said in the past, I favored option 1). You're probably not going to blow up Uncle Sam's nephews if he's lining your pocket.

--option 1 isn't available. there's no momentum for it on either side of the congressional aisle. in a day and age of global privatization, how can we let a weakling country like Iraq engage in protectionist policies and receive free grants of aid like Japan and Germany did in the 1940's, 50's and then tell the rest of the world they should be satisfied with 'free trade'?

steve



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