[lbo-talk] Whom to Blame? Try the Iraqis (was "you and I, are indirectly responsible")

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

On 11/19/06, Tayssir John Gabbour <tayssir.john at googlemail.com> wrote:
> On 11/19/06, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
> > >> After Christian Parenti met a bunch of them, he said many were
> > >> nihilists with no political program.
> > >
> > > Does anyone have a link to this perspective?
> >
> > In any case, try this: <http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/
> > Radio_1.html#041111>.
>
> Thanks, Doug. Parenti starts discussing that part of resistance at
> 43:00, and at 46:00 mentions nihilism.
>
> Previously, the word "nihilism" conjured up images in my mind of
> beret-wearing serial killers. But Parenti explained it as a relative
> lack of political vision; repelling the invaders without concern for
> rebuilding society or costs to others. Parenti also cited Saddam's
> release of prisoners from Abu Gharaib, some of whom were seriously
> psychopathic.

As the US occupation of Iraq is now undeniably in a quagmire, no
longer denied even by the Right, a blame game has begun.  Whom do
Americans blame for the quagmire?  Themselves?  No!  It's the Iraqis'
fault!  Really.

<blockquote><http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003438947_krauthammer20.html>

Charles Krauthammer / Syndicated columnist
Whom to blame? Try the Iraqis

"A republic, if you can keep it."

— Benjamin Franklin, upon leaving the Constitutional Convention, in
answer to "What have we got?"

WASHINGTON — We have given the Iraqis a republic and they do not
appear able to keep it.

Americans flatter themselves that they are the root of all planetary
evil. Nukes in North Korea? Poverty in Bolivia? Sectarian violence in
Iraq? Breasts are beaten and fingers pointed as we try to somehow
locate the root cause in America.

Our discourse on Iraq has followed the same pattern. Where did we go
wrong? Too few troops? Too arrogant an occupation? Or too soft? Take
your pick.

I have my own theories. In retrospect, I think we made several serious
mistakes — not shooting looters, not installing an Iraqi exile
government right away, and not taking out Moqtada al-Sadr and his
Mahdi Army in its infancy in 2004 — that greatly compromised the
occupation. Nonetheless, the root problem lies with Iraqis and their
political culture.</blockquote>
-- 
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>
<http://mrzine.org>
<http://monthlyreview.org/>