[lbo-talk] The very worst custodians of empire

[Jerry Monaco]

On 6/26/06, ravi <gadfly at exitleft.org> wrote:
> At around 26/6/06 1:22 pm, Jerry Monaco wrote:
>
> > and
> > c)  The U.S. (and Britain, among others) owe massive reparations to the
> > Iraqi people, (in money and in kind, to the government and to grass
> > roots organizations, all to be decided  by the Iraqi people and not by
> > the "donors") and these massive reparations should be considered merely
> > the starting point for reversing all of the destruction the aggressors
> > have caused.
> >
>
> (c) is not an AND to (a) (or to the typical left slogans: Get Out Now,
> etc), but a response to it. Paying reparations is a way of sorting out
> the problem. It is one thing that the U.S is capable of doing at this
> point. It is one slogan that leftists can add to their placards or email
> signatures: MASSIVE REPARATIONS NOW!

Yes, I understand your point.  But perhaps I am writing with too many
parentheticals.  My point is that the massive reparations are not
given with any ties by the U.S. or anyone else.  The Iraqis must be
aloud to determine "the sorting out" how-ever they want.  This itself
is problematic given the chaos of the situation.  But it is not for
the U.S. to decide.  It is for the Iraqi people to decide on the use
of the reparations.  The U.S. has no rights in the situation only
obligations.  The first obligation is to get out and the second
obligation is to pay reparations.  (We may think of other obligations
and debts later.) Again, given the ballance of power, between nations
and here in the U.S., this is not very likely.  The U.S. still has not
paid reparations to Vietnam or Nicaragua after all.  But it is part of
our job as U.S. citizens to make it more likely or at least to educate
people that this is our obligation as human beings and citizens of an
agressor state.

 > On 6/26/06, *Colin Brace* <cb at lim.nl <mailto:cb at lim.nl>> wrote:
> >
> >     a) the US has no business "sorting out" Iraq for the Iraqis and it is
> >     debatable whether it is even *capable* of doing so at this point;
> >
> >     b) the Iraqis have made it abundantly clear that they want the
> >     occupiers OUT of Iraq.
> >
>