Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!turing.toronto.edu!west
Newsgroups: trial.talk.politics.peace
From: west@turing.toronto.edu (Tom West)
Subject: Re: Peace?
Message-ID: <1991Feb7.181854.26365@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
References: <58120@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> <2247@njitgw.njit.edu> <10211@ncar.ucar.edu>
Date: 7 Feb 91 23:18:54 GMT
Lines: 32

In article <10211@ncar.ucar.edu> gary@neit.cgd.ucar.edu (Gary Strand) writes:
>> This conflict has nothing to do with peace. 
>
>  Yep. It's about justice and freedom.
>
>> This conflict exists for three reasons:
>>     1. Keep Western control over the world oil supply. 
>>     2. To Clean up a NATO foreign policy mess
>>     3. To secure a U.S. Presence in the region. 
>
>  And these are the *only* three reasons, all others being mere rationaliza-
>  tions, eh?

  Much as many people would like to think otherwise, I fear 'tis so.  There are
a number of far worse situations that the U.S.A. has seen fit to ignore
completely, such as the occupation and subsequent attempt at genocide of
East Timor.

  This isn't to say that the U.N. intervention in Kuwait wasn't deserved.  But
to claim that the U.S. is fighting for peace and freedom and only coincidentally
fullfilling the above three notions while ignoring the rest of the world's
injustices (which coincidentally don't have any U.S. strategic value) is to
demonstrate astonishing naivity.

  It just happens that in this war, one can also claim a moral ground.  A big
help when it comes to getting support for a war like this.

  It's a little bit disturbing to see how many people have taken the gov't line
hook line and sinker.  I used to think that this might be the right war for the
wrong reasons.  Now I wonder.

					Tom West