On Sun, Dec 29, 2002 at 05:31:33AM -0500, just john wrote:
> <x-rich>I bet I can think of a "diamond-shaped" society before the present
> day America.
>
>
> Apartheid-era South Africa!
That is a pretty stange diamond shape you have.
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> Now, if we're messing with a place to such an extent -- to prevent
> operations of, say, sewage treatment plants -- don't the people of that
> place have to count when we're bragging about "diamond-shaped" economic
> structures?</x-rich>
Where is the evidence that this is the fault of the US? I haven't seen
any evidence that the US directly prevented the operation of sewage
treatment plants. Not to say that the sanctions had no effect, I'm sure
they worsened an already bad situation, but to blame the US for killing
13% of Iraq's children needs some strong evidence. Brutal dictatorial
regimes tend to have a bad effect on the population, that would seem a
more likely explanation, don't you think?
Incidentally, I don't think there is any way to be totally fair when
dealing with a non-democratic state. The problem is accountability. In
a democratic state, the people are ultimately accountable for the
actions of the state. But when the people are ruled by a tyrant,
who is accountable? If the tyrant commits a crime, who pays the
consequences? In a hostage situation, a common procedure is to start by
imagining the hostages already dead and act against the hostage-takers
on that basis, thus considering any hostages who survive to be a gift.
This sounds cruel, but it is being realistic -- the hostage-takers
already have the power to kill or torture the hostages at any time. The
hostages are not, and cannot be, the responsibility of anyone other than
the hostage-takers.
--
"Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.erikreuter.net/
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