Saddam Captured
Yes it's a good thing. Yes I hope it will lead to reduced violence and faster transition to full self government and the end of occupation. Yes Saddam is evil. He was evil when he was a convenient ally against Iran (Howard apparantly wasn't so concerned by him then). He was evil when he dropped chemical weapons on the Iranians (Howard wasn't so upset by him then). He was evil when Australia contracted important wheat sales with Iraq (Howard wasn't so worried by his evil acts then).
The way Howard and Downer ( & George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld) ) talk, you'd think the reason they gave us for attacking Iraq was to free the Iraqis. But that isn't the reason they gave. The lied to us about the immanent danger of WMDs. They argued about aluminium tubes. Chemical repositories. We were told that the world could not possibly wait another three months. Now we are told to be patient.
I still believe that the dominating motive was an opportunistic grab for power and show of strength in the aftermath of 9-11. If the result of all this is that Iraqis get freedom, then that will be cream on the cake, but it wasn't the motivating reason.
Certainly, now, we should do whatever is needed to ensure Iraqis get the freedom they deserve. But just like the long term result of decisions (about where borders would be, and what peoples would "exist") in the aftermath of WW1 led to the current problems in the Middle East, so too will the longer term result of US unilateralism be - already is - a world much less safe than it could have been.
Yes it's a good thing. Yes I hope it will lead to reduced violence and faster transition to full self government and the end of occupation. Yes Saddam is evil. He was evil when he was a convenient ally against Iran (Howard apparantly wasn't so concerned by him then). He was evil when he dropped chemical weapons on the Iranians (Howard wasn't so upset by him then). He was evil when Australia contracted important wheat sales with Iraq (Howard wasn't so worried by his evil acts then).
The way Howard and Downer ( & George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld) ) talk, you'd think the reason they gave us for attacking Iraq was to free the Iraqis. But that isn't the reason they gave. The lied to us about the immanent danger of WMDs. They argued about aluminium tubes. Chemical repositories. We were told that the world could not possibly wait another three months. Now we are told to be patient.
I still believe that the dominating motive was an opportunistic grab for power and show of strength in the aftermath of 9-11. If the result of all this is that Iraqis get freedom, then that will be cream on the cake, but it wasn't the motivating reason.
Certainly, now, we should do whatever is needed to ensure Iraqis get the freedom they deserve. But just like the long term result of decisions (about where borders would be, and what peoples would "exist") in the aftermath of WW1 led to the current problems in the Middle East, so too will the longer term result of US unilateralism be - already is - a world much less safe than it could have been.
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