US authority "in ruins" after Iraq war: German Philospher

Agence France-Presse (AFP) ^ | 4-17-03

[Oldeconomybuyer]

FRANKFURT, Germany, April 17 (AFP) - The authority of the United States is "in ruins" following its decision to launch a war on Iraq, German philospher Juergen Habermas wrote in an editorial on Thursday.

The United States, which for "half a century served as the pioneer ... has abandoned its role as a force for guaranteeing international law", Habermas wrote in the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.

"With this war against international law, the United States has set a devastating example for future world powers. Make no mistake -- the normative authority of the United States lies in ruins."

Habermas, who has a good reputation in the United States, also criticised the administration of US President George W. Bush and "the neo-conservatives in Washington".

He said they were "not offering realism or peace by opposing the ethics of international law but only another kind of revolution".

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Juergen Habermas kann meinen roten, weißen, und blauen Esel küssen.

[wideawake]

Habermas is an adherent of the Frankfurt School strain of Marxist thought in Germany.

He is a friend of Joschka Fischer, the anti-American German minister from the Green Party.

He applauded the actions of the Soviets in the infamous Prague Spring, but he seems to have a special horror of the US rescuing the Iraqis from Hussein.

His sterling reputation among the Nicholas De Genovas of the world is still intact.

[vbmoneyspender]

Given the news that is coming out about the Baathist killing fields in Iraq, I can't help but think that the only reason this guy is upset is because another social-dictatorship has bitten the dust.

[KarlInOhio]

You have a red, white and blue donkey? That's pretty darn patriotic. Maybe you meant Hintern instead of Esel, which can be translated as the same English word but a different meaning.

[Shermy]

"not offering realism or peace by opposing the ethics of international law but only another kind of revolution".

"ethics of international law" Now THAT'S funny. "Realism"? Apparently he doesn't see the present reality. "Peace"? Apparently realism and peace are congruent with oppression and respect for the contractual rights of French and German corporations.

"but only another kind of revoluation."

You know, that other kind, the bad kind, the American kind - liberation. Not the more sophisticated and ethical statist/fascist/marxist European kind.

Old Europe is hopeless.

[OpusatFR]

"With this war against international law, the United States has set a devastating example for future world powers..."

Uhhhh....what ~~future~~ world powers might that be?

Tomahawks up!

[Oldeconomybuyer]

That's what happens when the only German you know is from ...

http://www.freetranslation.com/

[Gamecock]

Hey Habermas, In case you haven't heard, Soldiers Are Our Credentials!

[Lockbox]

The United States, which for "half a century served as the pioneer ... has abandoned its role as a force for guaranteeing international law",

No Juergen, we are just enforcing the guarantee. Even you must realize that there must be a penalty clause in order for a guarantee to work, otherwise the guarantee would be worthless.

[The Wizard]

and I really care what this asshole thinks

[TheMole]

Like Adorno and Marcuse, Habermas hates the "bourgeois" state and works to subvert it from within. The logical translation of this news is that George W. Bush and his team are indeed doing a great job. The enemies of freedom can't stand it.

[sinkspur]

Excuse us if we're a little skeptical of a "philospher" from a country whose armies have had a nasty habit of spilling over borders in recent times.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for the info. I'm not surprised this guy is a Marxist who NEVER believed the US had any moral authority.

[ImProudToBeAnAmerican]

Excellent choice of keywords!

Hey Juergen dude, here's our new world philosophy: BITE ME!

Lesson #1: Don't mess with the US.

Lesson #2: When in doubt, don't forget about lesson #1.

[Retrofire]

Agence France-Presse has been on a roll today.

The louder they bitch, the better we must be doing. =)

[KarlInOhio]

Another German philosopher who would be grouchy about our actions.

[Natural Law]

Hey Juergen, tell it to the guy in the M1A1.

[Bonaparte]

He's upset because America's most dangerous enemy is being systematically disassembled and stomped, along with France and Germany's dream of a weakened America unable to stand in the way of Franco-Germanic socialist hegemony.

Most of western Europe has long been "sovietized," and we have been incredibly slow to acknowledge this fact and act accordingly. France, Germany and Belgium still put up the pretense of being our "allies," but that appearance is now so thin as to be transparently ludicrous. Those east European countries that are apparently joining the EU will be very disappointed when they discover that those blandishments and promises about economic prosperity only lured them into a trap. But by then they will already be nothing but client states of yet another "evil empire."

Chirac's contemptuous public comments to them should have tipped them off to how they are seen and what they can expect.

[Mister Baredog]

The United States, which for "half a century served as the pioneer ... has abandoned its role as a force for guaranteeing international law

The United States, which for over 200 years has been governed by its constitution.....has upheld its role as a beacon for freedom and liberty in the world.

[irish guard]

Ja bestimmt