opinion on Iraq...

Just a little rant on a topic I think, despite being pummelled to death by the media worldwide, deserves some attention.

As a US citizen living overseas, I'm in an interesting position to watch my homeland from the perspective of a foreigner. Frankly, despite my love for the land of America and many of its people, I'm feeling nothing but contempt and frustration at the simplicity and/or deviousness of its government. That the people of the US have - perhaps not uniformly willingly, but without successful resistance - sacrificed in their own homeland the very freedom that their forefathers struggled to propagate worldwide in the name of "security" speaks volumes on a dying empire in its first stages of collapse. Does anyone else hear the sinister echoes of an era whose impact is still held in the vivid memories of people living today? Do all those in America who indiscriminantly labelled all Germans "Nazis" for their complicity in the Holocaust not see the parallels to the megalomania of the younger, simpler Bush? The squelching of the media? The fear of reprisal for negative comments on his administrations's policies? The mindless warmongering zeal of all those poor militarists who haven't had the opportunity to taste "real combat"? The real, practical restrictions to freedom inflicted upon everyday people in their own communities? And what of the simple young soldiers - sons and daughters of Americans - who will find themselves terminally unprepared for the rigors of war - something which they've only experienced so far through movies and video games? Who can measure what is lost to all of us with their lost innocence, shattered expectations and possible annihilation in the sands of the middle east.

The moment America obliterates a single Muslim in its "war against Saddam," in the eyes of the Islamic world at least, it leaps with both feet into the ranks of the unjust. Arguably, it did that long ago with its self-serving foreign policies and relationships of convenience with unsavoury regimes - witness the widespread hate for America worldwide - and we mourn the fact that the rest of the world doesn't always descriminate between a government and the people it represents - 9/11 (note the date of the above quote from Benjamin Franklin - irony? You bet.) should provide ample proof of that, along with many occurrences overseas. The same holds true in many other international conflicts we see on the TV news every night. But do we see the implications? That US citizens the world over have become targets, even seen as demons thanks to the government which represents them is a cruel irony for a country whose founding fathers had such lofty aspirations, and built a national foundation so firmly rooted in principle and integrity. It's truly a shame that so much of that stucture has been worn away over the past few centuries by the relentless shuffling feet of human frailty and uninspired "leadership".

Saddam Hussein is by no means a delightful cherub - his position in the annals of history will certainly reflect his grotesque character. There is no question that the people of Iraq would be better served by almost any alternative government. But for America to wage war on Iraq - the people of Iraq - seems a ham-fisted approach. Surely, if freeing the people of Iraq of their tyranical dictator is the aim of America, then there must be much easier ways to achieve this that don't involve the wholesale destruction of a country and many of its innocent people (of course, that assumes that the people of Iraq want to be freed - is that a safe assumption, or a US presumption?). But there is no indication that this is the real motivation for America to fight this war in Iraq. What those reasons are, I can't say with any authority, although I can't imagine a justification for the spread of death and generations of hate that it will surely bring. The death of a single Muslim, or a single American soldier for that matter, will spawn at least a generation of hate which will serve only to perpetuate the conflict - directly in opposition to the only sane goal in this situation: bringing stability and rule of law to Iraq.

The government of America, with its very dubious past involvement in the Middle East and Iraq in specific does not have the credibility - the "mana" to use the endemic term of the Maori - to inflict its will on the people of Iraq, or Israel and Palestine, or North Korea, or anywhere else - without first earning the trust of its allies and the respect of its enemies. At the moment, it clearly has neither. The US cannot gain respect through demonstrating its military might. Its tactics of "videogame" style warfare do little to impress peoples around the world who have to fight their wars the hard way - on foot, in the weather, with infection and general suffering. The US can only gain the respect by upholding justice, promoting understanding, supporting freedom - by addressing the motivation to create casualties rather than actively inflicting them. The only way it can gain them is through serious introspection, and acknowledgement of past wrongs. Everyone has patience for the ardent convert to truth and integrity, but that patience evaporates the instant that the sincerity of that convert comes into question. America, if you intend to be the world's policeman, you must earn the respect of your charges. To do so, you must recognise that you must hold yourself to a higher standard than those around you. And remember: although faking sincerity and honesty might lead to short term success, the inevitable swing to hypocrisy is the most damning legacy of all. America, here's your chance to do the right thing.

(this file last updated: Sunday, 6 April 2003 2:00 pm - NZ time)

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