Posted on 03/21/2006 10:08:20 AM PST by aculeus
Many opponents of the Iraq war both in the US and Europe have felt a not-so-secret sense of schadenfreude at the developing chaos in Iraq. While many might intellectually support the emergence of a stable, democratic, pro-western government in Baghdad, "success" in this matter would be seen as a vindication of all of the baggage that the Bush administration loaded on to this project, including its unilateralism, use of force and incompetent execution of the war's aftermath. Many would therefore be happy seeing Washington suffer a setback, to deter such interventions in the future.
But people should be careful what they wish for. A domestic nationalist backlash against the policies that led to the war is brewing, with implications for how the US will deal with Europe and the rest of the world down the road. Like it or not, American power and involvement are necessary to the proper functioning of world order, and the kind of role that a post-Iraq United States may play is very much up for grabs.
Two recent events constitute straws in the wind. After the protests and embassy-burnings over the Danish cartoons, no major US newspaper was willing to publish the cartoons, and most editorialists took a holier-thanthou attitude to those European papers that did. While one might question the prudence of publishing the cartoons, the violent reaction was a clear case of intimidation, in many cases officially sanctioned, and few Americans criticised the protests or stood up for the right of free speech. Many seemed to feel a certain satisfaction that this time Europeans rather than Americans were feeling Muslim wrath.
The second, and more egregious, case was the successful blocking by the US Congress of the purchase by Dubai Ports World of a British company that operates six US ports.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
It's the peaceful periods of history that are rare.
Europeans are dunces!
Untrue - I know at least the Philadelphia Inquirer published them.
What developing chaos in Iraq?
Peace historically is a time for R&R. Rearming and resupplying.
Francis Fukuyama is a meathead.
Thanks! I'm glad it gave you a laugh. Me, too!
It getting harder to read what coming out of Europe. As the muslim population grows, so does their voice, which drowns out the voices of Non- Muslim Europeons, which may actually want the US to smack down as many "radical Islamists" as they can.
But, considering the unrest happening in France right now, with Muslim's burning 80 or so cars a week still, and now young marxists demanding welfare like job security, and jobs in general that pay executive wages for a philosophy major graduate, and burning a fair number of cars themselves, I don't think they are concerned at all over Iraq, and as their situation worsens, their concerns over Iraq will become non-existant as the general strike slowly destroys what's left of their economy and plunges them into a resesion, and possibly a civil war of their own with the muslim population.
Hey, I thought all history ended in the early 1990s after the Soviet bloc collapsed...oh wait!
Chaos is a form of order.
Glad they are seeing "the light" but it's getting a bit late. You should have paid more attention in the beginning.
So, a policy of "hate America" might not be a good idea? Well no DUH! Tough donuts liberal Euro weenies if your political stance causes you a problem. Blame yourself for it. Not us.
The French and Germans must be about to crap their pants with fear when the Guardian starts to sympathize with America.
Just what I was thinking as well. The guardian seems to parrot the socialist lines only, but then we have this? Are they waking up now to the islamist threat within?
Not to worry. He'll just write another book.
Print it. Frame it. Market it to teenagers to hang in their room.
It's an honor to meet someone who understands history!
The media in all countries keep pounding away at Christians. The only difference in the US is that we are winning against the Media.
Wow! Our media is a pack of seditious, mendacious jackals. I cannot imagine what yours must be like.
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