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Steve wrote quoting: PAUL KRUGMAN
> > And though you don't hear much about it in the U.S. media,
> > a lack of faith in Mr. Bush's staying power a fear that
> > he will wimp out in the aftermath of war, that he won't do
> > what is needed to rebuild Iraq is a large factor in the
> > growing rift between Europe and the United States.
On 12 Feb 2003 at 1:21, Lucky Green wrote:
> And this matters how? Why would Bush, or for that matter the
> Europeans, care about rebuilding (what?) in Iraq? Other than
> the minimum investments required to prevent the population
> from rising up against their future leaders, why should the
> U.S. concern itself with making investments in Iraq not
> directly related to creating and maintaining oil extraction
> and transport facilities?
The arabs hunger for development and modernity. In the past
they absorbed the worst poisons spewed by western universities,
socialism and anti-imperialist nationalism, and attempted to
apply them, with predictably disastrous results, Then they
healthily came to reject these foolish and dangerous ideas, and
attempted to return to their roots, with results that were bad
for us as well as them.
The theory of the democratic imperialists is to export better
ideas at gunpoint. It is far from clear that this will work,
even if tried honestly and vigorously -- we are running into a
bit of trouble applying it in Kosovo. It is also far from
clear that the US has the necessary will and virtue to apply it
in Iraq.
The Germans and the French are not very keen on doing it at
all, but realizing that position is unpopular, instead say they
doubt the US will to do it.
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James A. Donald
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