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http://www.jordantimes.com/Tue/opinion/opinion1.htm Jordan Times September 24, 2002 Editorial: The many prices of war -The catastrophic costs of a war with Iraq cannot be measured in dollars and cents. There is more to armed conflicts than accounting sheets. We need to reckon with human costs as well, and with the impacts of a devastating war on regional security and stability. Not to mention environmental threats. -There is a price to be paid by any government entering a war that is not strictly an act of self-defence. There is also a price to be paid by any people dragged by their decision makers into war. IT IS estimated that a war with Iraq would cost the US no less than $200 billion. This much has been confirmed by White House economic adviser Larry Lindsey. Yet this colossal expense does not seem to ruffle the feathers of the key advisers of US President George Bush. The counterargument that is being painted rests on the proposition that, despite its high cost, war with Baghdad is good for the US economy. Advocates of an armed conflict with Iraq maintain that overthrowing Saddam Hussein would mean an additional three to five million barrels of oil reaching the global economy. It happens that Iraq has oil reserves of at least 112 billion barrels, second only to Saudi Arabia's 261 billion barrels. The argument in favour of war with Iraq therefore rests on the assumption that what is good for the US economy would be good for world economy as well. This kind of talk must fuel fears that there is more than just security and peace behind the US stance on Iraq. And, on this basis, no matter how high the price to be incurred by Washington is, returns will be even higher. But can there be a profitable war? The catastrophic costs of a war with Iraq cannot be measured in dollars and cents. There is more to armed conflicts than accounting sheets. We need to reckon with human costs as well, and with the impacts of a devastating war on regional security and stability. Not to mention environmental threats. Political advisers to heads of state must weigh the pros and cons of any decision. While at their job, they should also adopt a holistic approach that takes into consideration issues such as human life and human suffering, and not merely whether a certain policy is economically viable in the short-term. There is a price to be paid by any government entering a war that is not strictly an act of self-defence. There is also a price to be paid by any people dragged by their decision makers into war. Mr Lindsey might find out soon enough, if his president had to take his advice. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! http://sbc.yahoo.com --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
