----- Original Message ----- From: "Warren Ockrassa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Killer Bs Discussion" <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 4:05 PM Subject: Re: Br!n: Re: more neocons
> Since you asked... ;) > > On May 11, 2005, at 10:15 AM, Ronn!Blankenship wrote: > > > I just wonder what can be done to solve the plight of those millions > > of human beings > > Nothing. > > There is no way to save the world. There is no way to change human > nature. And what we define as a solution now might not apply in a > different social context 100 years from now. For instance 150 years ago > the answer to dealing with all the "backward" people "suffering" in the > Congo seemed pretty obvious. > > There's some question, too, regarding how much of the world actually > needs saving. Do we stop at oppressive regimes? Which ones? Only the > ones who can't nuke is in response? (So N. Korea is safe.) Just the > ones we don't get along with at the moment? (So Saudi Arabia's safe > too.) Or do we keep going with nations whose governmental structures > don't match ours closely enough to suit us? (Look out, Egypt!) Or do we > keep going based on how close to "holiness" -- some flavor of Xtianity > or other -- we think they are? (Bye-bye, Thailand!) > > Now with situations like Rwanda, I think things are obvious. With Iraq > they were grey. (Why haven't we done a Regime Change on Cuba yet?) And > then there are some are-they-or-aren't-they cases where no clear > solution presents itself, and that makes me think that possibly -- just > possibly -- we shouldn't be trying to "fix" things in the first place. > > Besides, I think we're seeing that an enforced change won't work. It > looks like the older means is still the better one -- be an example and > let change be effected internally to a given nation. Maybe supply > training and *some* weaponry to the "freedom fighters"; maybe not. The > USSR collapsed without a revolution. That it has happened before > suggests it can happen again. > But attempting to shoulder the responsibility of "saving" millions of > miserable people, ostensibly from some oppressive government-bugaboo of > the week? Not practical and not possible. Regrettable -- tragic -- but > I think true. But, it has worked a number of times, as well as not having worked a number of times. Western Europe and Japan are classic examples of this. On the whole, if you look at the amount of influence/leverage the US has had with a country, there is a strong correlation between that influence and representative governments. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
