[lbo-talk] Nader Does the CFR

[Joseph Wanzala]

'Troops out now' is a slogan Doug. Slogans are simplistic expressions of 
popular will. What Nader said is essentially the same thing - but in 
realistic terms. To be sure, it panders too much to the crowd who want to 
hear a 'responsibly articulated plan', but hey, the US did not enter Iraq in 
an instant, and the US military-industrial complex is faily well ensconced 
in that country so any kind of withdrawal would have to be a faily drawn out 
sensibly thought-out affair - unlike the forced evacuation of Saigon in 
April 1975. When Spanish Prime Minister-elect Zapatero said he is pulling 
that country's troops out of Iraq 'within months', it was not greeted with 
protests of 'no we want them out tomorrow' from the Spaniards, it was 
understood that it would take months to pull out 1300 troops. What more the 
tens of thouusands of US troops, not to mention the elaborate 
psuedo-colonial state apparatus they have set up. Indeed, if Nader had said 
'Troops out tomorrow' he would be pounced on as being unrealistic.

Joe W.


>From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
>Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Nader Does the CFR
>Date: Sun, 30 May 2004 11:35:54 -0400
>
>Ralph's speech is at 
><http://www.cfr.org/campaign2004/pub7058/nader/waging_peace_advancing_justice_promoting_security_the_civic_displacement_of_corporate_globalization.php>.
>
>His Iraq policy, which may not please the "Troops out now!" contingent:
>
>>An alternative future that will separate them, distance them from 
>>insurgencies and the resistance, would be to declare a set date for a 
>>corporate and military withdrawal by the United States from Iraq--let's 
>>say until the end of the year--with a phase-in of international 
>>peacekeepers from neutral countries who are experienced in that effort, as 
>>well as from Islamic nations, and that that be correlated with 
>>internationally supervised elections to avoid any impression that a puppet 
>>regime is going to be put in place, with continued humanitarian assistance 
>>until the country gets back on its feet. That will give a stake to the 
>>mainstream Iraqi people and fortify the position of a more peaceful 
>>resolution for this reckless adventure.
>
>
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