[The_Rorschach]

BT: Did you even read the whole article? Dubya is contradicting what he said would be his approach to foreign policy when he was a candidate.

Those are campaign promises. All candidates make them, and for the last thirty years, all candidates have broken them. It's what happens when dreams are applied to reality. They break down, and ultimately fail.


BT: The 'very dirty real world' has taught that multi-lateral action is only way to effectively resolve geopolitical issues (the Gulf War Coalition being the prime example of that).

I disagree. Multilateral decisions have an even track record of failing as often as succeeding. Bosnia was multilateral. Do we consider that a success even with the fall of Srebrenica (not a typo) the UN has failed in its reformation tactics. East Timor was yet another UN failure, sure after the proclaimation of independence in East Timor the three-year period of United Nations transitional administration was a great success, but East Timorese people were never given the chance to decide whether they wanted to have their lives determined by this cabal of Western pro-corporate financial administrators. Economically they have suffered because of UN interference. The UN admitted it failed in Rwanda, having had the knowledge and wherewithall to prevent the genocide slaughter five years before they actually became involved. Without even touching Iraq or Pakistan, ample evidence of multilateral action ineptitude is easily vouched for.


TB: You may argue that Dubya went the whole mile to try to build international consensus on this issue. However, do you honestly believe his 'you're either with us or against us' proclamations, his couching of the coming conflict in Biblical black-and-white issues, his being arrogant bullying towards some of your closest allies and his presentation of intelligence reports, which at best were ambiguous and at worst were fraudulent, are the best ways to get the people of the world on your side?

We don't NEED people on our side. War isn't about popularity. Britain was more than willing to sacrifice Austria to Hitler in the name of peace, and Chamberlain had world support when he did so. The world at large desires peace at any cost, the price of which is paid most generally with the lives of noncombatants. Some leaders need to be disposed, some wars need to be fought. Though I disagree with Bush's reasoning, Hussein's actions against the Kurds to the north are enough to warrant a death sentence in and of themselves.