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From: orb@whuts.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Democracy, Wars, Imperialism and Nationalism:I
Message-ID: <442@whuts.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Dec-85 12:26:47 EST
Article-I.D.: whuts.442
Posted: Mon Dec 16 12:26:47 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Dec-85 18:55:33 EST
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Continuing the discussion of democracy, imperialism and wars.
Kenneth Arromdee writes:
   > > tim sevener    > kenneth arromdee
>  When, in the 20th century, did a democracy invade another democracy?
>  Kenneth Arromdee
> >
> >1)If you mean when did an already independent democratic nation attack
> >  another independent democratic nation then this is going to be made
> >  more rare in the 20th century since by that time the majority of
> >  the world was under the domination of European colonialism fostered
> >  every bit as much by parliamentary democracies such as Britain and
> >  France as by autocratic regimes like Germany and Imperial Russia. ...
> >  In having such colonies to begin with it should be quite obvious
> >  that Britain and France had to engage in numerous military interventions
> >  and invasions in the colonialized world.  ...  Therefore countless
> >  struggles for independence from Britain and France can be considered
> >  wars in the direction of greater democracy *opposed* by democracies
> >  like Britain and France.
> 
> Question: what is your definition of war?  If you count a decoloni-
> zation struggle as a war, that definition would logically lead you to
> positions that as far as I can tell (correct me if I'm wrong) you do not
> support.  Specifically, the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe and the
> struggles against it, and Afghanistan, etc... must count as wars the blame
> for whom is on the Soviets.
> 
 
I never said that the Soviets were not to blame.  I make no apologies or
excuses for the awful Soviet record and I have stated *MANY* times my
opposition to their domination of Eastern Europe and their invasion of
Afghanistan.  What does that have to do with the major thesis:
that *democracies* have engaged in such wars many times?  That the British
Empire was built upon countless invasions and subjugations of other
nations?  That France attempted to regain their Indochinese colony after
WW II and the US provided help in that endeavor?
 
I never said that non-democratic countries were necessarily peaceful
or never engaged in War as a means of national policy.  I have questioned
the myth that *democratic* countries never fight against each other or
never engage in agressive wars of domination over other countries.
      tim sevener   whuxn!orb