Date: Fri, 7 Mar 1997 01:30:53 +1000
From: rws-AT-comserver.canberra.edu.au (Rob Schaap)
Subject: Re: M-I: A challenge to Zarembka and Daum


Paul muses:

>Or take another who says we cannot have an opinion about Shining Path
>because we are not in Peru--after Adolfo comes out with death threats. 
>What is a reasonable person to think, given Adolfo, about the stories
>which come out about the Shining Path as a bunch of thugs?

[Maybe I'm not reasonable - but I think Doug's caution represents a sound
rule of thumb.  I reckon:

A reasonable person must make do with what information they have. If that
information is second-hand, and from parties with vested interests - and if
they are the only accessible sources - and if the truth of the matter is of
significance - then one source (say, Adolfo) could be confronted with
*particular* points made by another source (say, a press account of a
particular action) and asked to confirm or deny each detail of substance,
and explain both specific motivation and strategic context.  

Innocent people die in wars - if there are good grounds for the war as a
whole, then the question is: did they die by accident, or were they
deliberately killed?  If they were meant to be the victims of the action,
then it doesn't matter to me whether the war is just or not.  Murder has
been done.  If they were not, then comfy chaps like us should keep our
inevitably provisional and manifestly inexpert judgements to ourselves.

I guess I apply this to Ireland too, Gary.

Rob.]




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