Inauguration Notes - the War

The other vocal group from the left will be protesting the War in Iraq. Some of these will be socialists who actually admire the stalinism of Sadam Hussein. I have no respect for this position. Sadam was both a tyrant and an idiot and he deserved to go down. This is not to say that I agree with the way Mr. Bush has handled the war. He has put the American army in the role of imperialist occupier, largely based on a neo-conservative agenda in search of an enemy to justify the continued existence of the defense establishment. For those who hold this position, I will be with you in spirit as I sit in a dentist chair having a filling replaced. The Bush position is predicated on the untenable assumption that there is such a thing as an organic Iraq. Iraq is three peoples, the Kurds, the Shii and the Sunni. Rather than impose nation-hood upon these people, they should be offered the choice of independence or unification with those of similar culture and beliefs. It is past time for the Kurds of Iraq, Iran and Turkey to be given a common state, either on their own or within Iraq, Iran or Turkey. The Shii should be offered the same choice, independence, federation in Iraq or unification with the Islamic Republic. As to the Sunnis - we need not go where we are not wanted. If they truly desire to live in a Baathist dictatorship, then we should allow young Mr. Assad to accomodate them. The other alternative is to leave the whole matter at the feet of the Hashemite throne. King Abdullah of Jordan will be seen as an honest broker in this situation in a way that George Bush will never be. My web page on Iraq also deals with this situation, as well as the limits of the U.N. and the problems with American militarism. Go to http://www.christianleft.net/WorldPeace/Iraq.html for more on this topic.