OK, having made the case for going into Iraq, I'm going to do something fairly bizarre and explain why I didn't make up my mind about it until recently, and why I'm still not necessarily enthusiastic. First, let me suggest that everyone read
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-152-561996,00.html I think this is a great article, and (unlike some commentators) I think his last point is an entirely legitimate one. The greatest danger from this war is, I think, American hubris. Some of the critics of American policy are making this argument also - the problem is that they cheapen their argument by pairing it with many others that are insupportable. If (as too many critics do) you say the US has been evil, and done evil, so we oppose it now, then you're not credible. If you were on the side of the USSR in the Cold War, and you oppose the US now, you're not credible. If you're not willing to make any contribution to global order, but you think that the US should act at your beck and call when _you_ think it's necessary, you're not credible. If I were to argue against American action in Iraq, here's what I'd say. Over the course of the twentieth century, there can be no doubt that American action in the world has been overwhelmingly for the good of the world. Despite some tragic mistakes the United States has, on the whole, acted with a sense of morality and restraint unrivalled by any other nation in history. Any other country so much stronger than all others would have used its power for self-aggrandizement and conquest. The fact that the US has not done so is extraordinary, and a tribute to the American people. Having said that - anyone could be tempted by the prospect of power. Past performance, as they say, is no guarantee of future results. There is no doubt that toppling Saddam Hussein will lower the bar of when the US decides to do such a thing (let's ignore Noriega). Having lowered it once, it will be easier to lower it again. There is a real risk that the US will be tempted to use its extraordinary power. At first it will be for the global good - and I think that toppling Hussein will be good for the world, in the long run. But eventually the risk is real that the US will use its power for its own good instead, and this could be the first step down that very dangerous path. Right now we don't want to be an empire. But the disparity between us and the rest of the world is so great that, at least in the short term, the US has something that no power in history has ever had before it - the prospect of an almost costless empire. Faced with that choice, it is reasonable to fear that even the United States might decide to take it. So it makes sense to try and persuade the US not to act here, because it might be more difficult to do it in the future. Gautam __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
