The debate on whether to go to war with Iraq is reaching new heights. I think Marcus Gee in his piece in yesterday’s Globe and Mail titled “The Franco-German non-plan” said it best. “Appeasement is a loaded word, especially when it is used in regard to France and Germany. But no other term can properly describe the Franco-German policy on Iraq.“ Gee goes on to attack John Le Carre’s now infamous opinion piece, and then challenges the anti-war proponents to come up with another solution that solves the problem of Hussein’s aggression, and meets the bar of “serious consequences” in the UN resolution.
OpenDemocracy.NET has a spectacular piece titled “Writers, Artists and Civic Leaders on the War“, in which public figures have written various points of view on the war. Excellent writing, and some well made points. Hazhir Teimourian, in Genocide and Dirty Hands, makes a compelling case for action on the premise of what action previously might have prevented. Roger Scruton, in “American Intention: to Liberate not to Enslave“, makes the case for the US as a benign superpower. Salman Rushdie, in “The War of Liberation Worth Fighting For” puts aside all other arguments in favour of the simple premise that liberation of the Iraqi people from Saddam is a worthy cause in it’s own right. I suspect that this is counter to international law, but compelling nonetheless. Over a million people have been murdered in Iraq since Saddam came to power.
David Warren’s latest “On the Eve” predicts the destruction of the UN over this. He writes:
“…next week is the crunch. I expect we will come to look back on this as we do now upon the League of Nations in its last moments — the League’s failure to act on Abyssinia, and so forth, in the gathering clouds of World War II.
The U.N. has manoeuvred Mr. Bush into a position where he cannot advance towards Baghdad without pushing them over. It follows he will push them over — and let the world know why. As I see it, we have reached the end of the road, either for Mr. Bush or for the United Nations. I expect Mr. Bush to prevail; but if he doesn’t, I’ll tell you. I expect Mr. Bush to be blamed for the convulsion that then seizes the U.N., but in the longer run I think it will be seen that the U.N. killed itself.”
And here in Canada, Jean Chretien’s equivocations continue.
