Gautam Mukunda wrote: > > --- "J. van Baardwijk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > Saw a speech by, IIRC, Schroeder recently. He > > mentioned (paraphrasing) that > > Germany is opposed against war against Iraq, because > > the German people, > > having been in the center of two world wars, realise > > that going to war is > > never the solution to a problem. > > Jeroen "Make love, not war" van Baardwijk > > OK. I want to call attention to this statement. Now, > Jeroen, there's a striking fact about the German > people "having been in the center of two world wars." > Which is, of course, that they started them. The > example, of course, disproves his argument. Going to > war _was_ the solution to a problem - the problem of > Nazism. We went to war. The problem was solved.
Wow, we actually agree on something! imagine that > The fact that Schroeder would make this > statement (and that you would repeat it > uncritically) speaks for itself. Leaving aside the question on whether war will solve any thing in Iraq (I'd agree that it is possible, if done right and with the right climate -- I just don't have anywhere near the level of confidence you display that current conditions are even close to being right,) There is a point to be made that the German people know how first hand badly a country can be devastated when it is the stage of a long and bloody war fought with modern weapons. They were only able to rebuild at all with a tremendous amount of help. Why should they want to inflict that upon another people, especially after being reminded time and again over the last half century of the evil consequences of the aggressive route to problem solving. -- Matt _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
