From: "Debra Lundberg" <dllund1-AT-pop.uky.edu>
Subject: RE: Robert Fisk: 'It was an outrage, an obscenity'(II)
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 08:13:50 -0500


A good book to refer to at this time is Howard Zinn's "On War" in which
he examines the "just war" argument.  As an American historian he's
mostly concerned with US history, nevertheless, it's a slim tome and can
help one frame peace or anti-war arguments that are understandable by
different folk in different positions.  Peace, like democracy, cannot be
imposed.  They can only be achieved through dialogue and consensus.

Debra L. Lundberg
UK Computer Store
128 Peterson Service Bldg.
lexington, KY 40506-0005
859-257-9292x267
859-323-1964 fax 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
[mailto:owner-postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu] On Behalf Of Liam
Connell
Sent: Thursday, March 27, 2003 4:52 AM
To: postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
Subject: Re: Robert Fisk: 'It was an outrage, an obscenity'(II)

Mark

The BBC reported this morning that Donald Rumsfeld is considering using 
"non lethal" chemical weapons should forces be drawn into street 
fighting.  The rationale here is that this will cause less loss of life 
than bombing or weapons' fire.  This is in contravention of the 
International Conventions on the use of chemical weapons to which the US

remains a signatory by the way.

Leaving aside the problematic issue of whether these chemical really are

non lethal (see the civilian deaths in the Moscow Theatre) the same
logic 
could be advanced for the use of lethal chemical weapons.  Less people
will 
die if the Iraqi or US army is wiped out using a deliberately fatal 
chemical attack.

What's the point here?  It is certainly not to say that the Iraqi regime

(as opposed to the Iraqis - I think this is an important distinction for

the reasons that Ly raises in another post - and it is troubling how 
quickly we slip into the cultures of nationalism at times like this) are

following the rule of law.  But it is important to remember that neither

are the US or UK governments/armed forces.  We might point out that the 
legal case for this war is at best not proven.  In addition the Geneva 
convention is being breached on both sides of this conflict.

The point is that war is not a moral activity whether legally pursued or

(as in this case) not.

If you don't believe that the US administration is imperialist perhaps
you 
should check out the reports of the Independent Strategy, a financial 
research company for institutional investors, who are describing it in 
these terms within the large (and presumably right wing) financial 
institutions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,922217,00.html

or better still the project for the New American Century, founded by the

likes of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Jeb Bush and Wolfowitz.

http://www.newamericancentury.org/

This ain't conspiracy theory: they said it.

I campaigned about human rights abuses in Iraq well before 1991 but the
way 
to get rid of tyrants like Saddam Hussein is to make it clear that
abuses 
of human rights will be punished by international law.  That means
putting 
people like Pinochet and Sharon on trial, as well as Kissinger for
abuses 
up and down Latin and Central America and Southern Asia,and Rumsfeld for

the abuse of human rights in Guantanamo Bay.  Pity the US regime values
its 
sovereignty above such a lofty aim.

Apportioning blame for every single incident in the war doesn't seem to
me 
to be a helpful or profitable use of our time while the broader moral 
issues are so clearly being subverted by US hegemony.

Liam


At 05:09 27/03/03 +0000, you wrote:


>And I guess next I'll be told the Iraqis are following the rule of war
too
>and this is just a figment of the right wing/imperial imagination...
>
>http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26193183.htm
>
>http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2003/03/26/rtr920518.html
>
>And then there is the issue of when a white flag isn't a white flag...
>
>http://www.katu.com/news/war_story.asp?ID=55842
>
>Later, MEH
>
>Mark Hall
>markhall-AT-gol.com
>
>
>      --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---

_________________________________

Dr Liam Connell
Department of Humanities
University of Hertfordshire
Wall Hall
Watford Campus
Aldenham
WD25 8AT



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