--- "Marvin Long, Jr." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > We'll see what happens in a couple of days, I guess. > Pondering the > vagaries of human psychology, it seems to me that a > stunning and > spectacular victory might work as badly against us > as somewhat prolonged > and messy one. People fight an irresistable force > by stabbing it in the > back. > > Marvin Long
Well, yes, that's exactly what France just did. There's a rumor that Villepin described what France is doing as "shooting America in the back." I don't know how true that is, but it's not a bad description. In Europe that might be the case. I am not as worried about Europe. First, because we have so many interests in common that if France's challenge to American predominance is rapidly put down, the long-term relationship is not so much at risk. The best way to do that, of course, is to go into Iraq, find the weapons of mass destruction, and rub Chirac's nose in them a bit. And second because these are fading societies. With _every day_ that passes Europe becomes less important on the world stage because of the simple and inexorable math of demographics. That is not going to change. But things in the Middle East can still go well or poorly, and that is dependent on the outcome of the war. What, btw, do you _want_ Marvin? If it goes well, that's bad. But if it goes poorly, that's bad. If we don't do this, Saddam eventually gets nuclear weapons. If we do do this, there's no outcome that seems favorable. What I haven't seen from you - from anyone, but particularly from you, since I know you're capable of it - is an argument balancing the risks of action versus those of inaction. Yes, the war can go badly. Look at the Middle East. Do you feel that peace is going _well_? What, given the options, would you do? Gautam __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
