Violence... The story so far

Excerpts From Various Sources:

It remains to be seen how Palestine and Iraq turn out. Meanwhile, we can move forward one day at a time and support our soldiers.

Losses, Before Bullets Fly
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
NY Times 7 Mar 2003

"Last week a member of the Canadian Parliament for the ruling party, Carolyn Parrish, was caught on television declaring: 'Damn Americans. I hate those bastards.'"...

"Then the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper conducted a (hopelessly unscientific) poll on its Web site, asking Canadians whether they agreed that 'Americans are behaving like bastards.' The returns aren't good: as of yesterday, 51 percent were saying yes. ...

"When even the Canadians, normally drearily polite, get colorfully steamed at us, we know the rest of the world is apoplectic. After all, the latest invective comes on top of the prime minister's spokesman calling George Bush a 'moron" last fall.'"

Let Them Hate as Long as They Fear
By PAUL KRUGMAN
NY Times March 2003

"Why does our president condone the swaggering and contemptuous approach to our friends and allies this administration is fostering, including among its most senior officials? Has 'oderint dum metuant' really become our motto?" So reads the resignation letter of John Brady Kiesling, a career diplomat who recently left the Foreign Service in protest against Bush administration policy.

"Oderint dum metuant" translates, roughly, as "let them hate as long as they fear." It was a favorite saying of the emperor Caligula, and may seem over the top as a description of current U.S. policy. But this week's crisis in U.S. - Mexican relations - a crisis that has been almost ignored north of the border - suggests that it is a perfect description of George Bush's attitude toward the world. ...

"The Economist quoted an American diplomat who warned that if Mexico didn't vote for a U.S. resolution it could 'stir up feelings' against Mexicans in the United States. He compared the situation to that of Japanese-Americans who were interned after 1941, and wondered whether Mexico 'wants to stir the fires of jingoism during a war.'"

"... Then came President Bush's Monday interview with Copley News Service. He alluded to the possibility of reprisals if Mexico didn't vote America's way, saying, 'I don't expect there to be significant retribution from the government'- emphasizing the word 'government.' He then went on to suggest that there might, however, be a reaction from other quarters, citing 'an interesting phenomena taking place here in America about the French . . . a backlash against the French, not stirred up by anybody except the people.'"


"And Mr. Bush then said that if Mexico or other countries oppose the United States, 'there will be a certain sense of discipline.'..."

"But my most intense reaction to this story isn't anger over the administration's stupidity and irresponsibility, or even dismay over the casual destruction of hard-won friendships. No, when I read an interview in which the U.S. president sounds for all the world like a B-movie villain - 'You have relatives in Texas, yes?' - what I feel, above all, is shame."

What a Little War in Iraq Could Do
By MICHAEL WALZER
PRINCETON, NJ
NY Times 7 Mar 2003

"The United States is marching to war as if there were no alternative. Judging from President Bush's press conference last night, the administration seems to have no exit strategy, no contingency plans to stop the march. Our leaders have created a situation where any failure to fight would count as a victory for Saddam Hussein and Jacques Chirac.

"So here is an exit strategy for the Bush administration. They haven't asked for it, but they need it. First, extend the northern and southern no-flight zones to include the whole country. ... the main reason would be punitive: Iraq has never accepted the containment regime put in place after the gulf war, and its refusal to do that should lead to tighter and tighter containment.

"Second, impose the "smart sanctions" that the Bush administration talked about before 9/11 and insist that Iraq's trading partners commit themselves to enforcing them. ...

"Third, the United States should expand the United Nations' monitoring system in all the ways that have recently been proposed: adding inspectors, bringing in United Nations soldiers (to guard military installations after they have been inspected), sending surveillance planes without providing 48 hours' notice, and so on.

"If an American proposal along these lines received strong international support, if there was a real commitment to sustain the little war for as long as necessary, there would be no good reason for the big war. The march could safely be stopped."

Of course it remains to be seen how this all turns out. Meanwhile, we can move forward one day at a time and support our soldiers.