
I am a Labor voter. Always have been and almost certainly always will be - this isn't blind devotion; it's just that elements within the party most closely parallel my moral and logical compass.
When George Bush became President of the US I was dismayed - a) his domestic policies are the opposite of my beliefs
and
b) his foreign policy was one of isolation - "Fortress America". It appeared the US was going to disengage from the type of crisis seen in Kosovo - the horrors of Rwanda suddenly became possible again because the US would not get involved.
Then Sept 11 happened. I remember thinking "Phark! What the hell are they going to do?"
COntrary to my fears, and thanks to the strength of Tony Blair's support and lobbying, the foreign (as opposed to domestic) policy response of the US is EXACTLY what I'd wanted to happen since the Gulf War in 91
The overthrow of the Taliban with a commitment to Nation Building by the West.
AND
FInally dealing with the ridiculous situation in Iraq where UN imposed sanctions re used by Iraq's regime as a propoganda tool against it's own people.
BUT
These policies have elicited huge criticism and suspicion from people in the West. The US is accused of Oil-based Imperialism while Tony Blair is accused of being a lap-dog.
To me, the whole idea of fostering Democracy (making up for the mistakes of the past) in this region seemed long overdue - and, since the failure of the Camp David peace talks between Barak and Arafat in 2000, the ONLY way peace will ever be achieved between Israel and its (real or imagined) enemies, and ending the suffering of the Palestinian people.
(It must be understood that, rightly or wrongly, hypocritical or not, the US Congress has little but contempt for non-democratic countries. They will deal with them, support them, arm them, fund them - but never respect them. Simply - if the middle-east was a freely democratic region, and the Palestinian Authority as well, there is NO way the US would support an oppressive Israel)
What gets to me is that people on MY (left) side of politics, seem overwhelmingly "anti" current US/English (read: Western Countries who actually DO something) policy.
It's Blair's policy - but apparently that just makes him a lapdog. With a few notable exceptions, Left Wing writers and thinkers are adamantly against the war in Iraq and, in fact, anything the US administration does.
I've come to the conclusion that much of this is blind rejection of Dubya and everything he stands for. Which is fine...
BUT
There has to be an alternative policy. SOMETHING has to change.
In all my searching and all debates I've been in, NOBODY has offered a solution - with the notable exception that much fundamentalist Islamic anger is focused on Israel - "so why should we be targets because the US supports them?"
I am not Jewish. I am a secular Aussie living in London : yet the subtext of the above statement boils down to sacrificing Israel, a functioning Western Democracy whose opposition (Labour) party recently chose political oblivion by withdrawing from Unity Government over money given to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Whatever arguments there are to be made about the actions of the Israeli state, there is something fundamental about the fact that their population has the freedom to make such decisions and hold such values. Labour will be wiped out in the election (if you were Israeli, wouldn' t you vote for those promising security at all costs rather than those promoting short term risk for long term peace?) - yet they still stood by their principle and, more importantly, are ALLOWED to.
Just as the growing number of Israeli Defence Force personnel who have a moral objection to actions within the "occupied territories" have been ALLOWED to express their opinion and opposition to the occupation.
That stems from Democracy.
The very idea that the US should be forced to drop it's aid to Israel to appease fundamentalist anger towards the rest of the West is repugnant to me; and smacks of a latent anti-semitism (and I don't use that term a lot) still existing in Europe.
Whether or not others find the idea morally repugnant, it's no SOLUTION - withdrawing economic and military support from Israel will inevitably result in a far more costly, and probably nuclear, war in the region.
Solutions???
What angers me is that it seems increasingly apparent that left wing opposition to "Regime Change" in Iraq is mostly a reaction against the US Administration, rather than an educated and objective opinion about how to deal with the situation.
There are Labour MP's in England who, during the 80's (when Saddam was backed by the West) called for action against Iraq, yet are now backing Iraq against their own party lines. It's glaringly obvious that some people are more interested in opposing the "right" than doing what is "proper".
All this achieves (IMO) is the weakening of the political Left - especially in domestic politics.
Blind disregard and rejection of "Dubya's" foreign policy on the Left has resulted in an unprecedented electoral gain by the Republicans in the US giving them the senate and the house!
This is far more dangerous than any war in the Middle East.
So I ask - What policy should the Western World follow?
How should we respond to Sept 11???
If the people on the Left allow this debate to be controlled by the "Frodo's" of the world - they MUST provide an alternative!
If the "Ah_19's" of the world are allowed to spout their misguided interpretation of "realpolitik" - where is the response from the "Left"???
Is there ANYBODY who can provide a realistic alternative to current US and English policy???
Please!
When George Bush became President of the US I was dismayed - a) his domestic policies are the opposite of my beliefs
and
b) his foreign policy was one of isolation - "Fortress America". It appeared the US was going to disengage from the type of crisis seen in Kosovo - the horrors of Rwanda suddenly became possible again because the US would not get involved.
Then Sept 11 happened. I remember thinking "Phark! What the hell are they going to do?"
COntrary to my fears, and thanks to the strength of Tony Blair's support and lobbying, the foreign (as opposed to domestic) policy response of the US is EXACTLY what I'd wanted to happen since the Gulf War in 91
The overthrow of the Taliban with a commitment to Nation Building by the West.
AND
FInally dealing with the ridiculous situation in Iraq where UN imposed sanctions re used by Iraq's regime as a propoganda tool against it's own people.
BUT
These policies have elicited huge criticism and suspicion from people in the West. The US is accused of Oil-based Imperialism while Tony Blair is accused of being a lap-dog.
To me, the whole idea of fostering Democracy (making up for the mistakes of the past) in this region seemed long overdue - and, since the failure of the Camp David peace talks between Barak and Arafat in 2000, the ONLY way peace will ever be achieved between Israel and its (real or imagined) enemies, and ending the suffering of the Palestinian people.
(It must be understood that, rightly or wrongly, hypocritical or not, the US Congress has little but contempt for non-democratic countries. They will deal with them, support them, arm them, fund them - but never respect them. Simply - if the middle-east was a freely democratic region, and the Palestinian Authority as well, there is NO way the US would support an oppressive Israel)
What gets to me is that people on MY (left) side of politics, seem overwhelmingly "anti" current US/English (read: Western Countries who actually DO something) policy.
It's Blair's policy - but apparently that just makes him a lapdog. With a few notable exceptions, Left Wing writers and thinkers are adamantly against the war in Iraq and, in fact, anything the US administration does.
I've come to the conclusion that much of this is blind rejection of Dubya and everything he stands for. Which is fine...
BUT
There has to be an alternative policy. SOMETHING has to change.
In all my searching and all debates I've been in, NOBODY has offered a solution - with the notable exception that much fundamentalist Islamic anger is focused on Israel - "so why should we be targets because the US supports them?"
I am not Jewish. I am a secular Aussie living in London : yet the subtext of the above statement boils down to sacrificing Israel, a functioning Western Democracy whose opposition (Labour) party recently chose political oblivion by withdrawing from Unity Government over money given to Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Whatever arguments there are to be made about the actions of the Israeli state, there is something fundamental about the fact that their population has the freedom to make such decisions and hold such values. Labour will be wiped out in the election (if you were Israeli, wouldn' t you vote for those promising security at all costs rather than those promoting short term risk for long term peace?) - yet they still stood by their principle and, more importantly, are ALLOWED to.
Just as the growing number of Israeli Defence Force personnel who have a moral objection to actions within the "occupied territories" have been ALLOWED to express their opinion and opposition to the occupation.
That stems from Democracy.
The very idea that the US should be forced to drop it's aid to Israel to appease fundamentalist anger towards the rest of the West is repugnant to me; and smacks of a latent anti-semitism (and I don't use that term a lot) still existing in Europe.
Whether or not others find the idea morally repugnant, it's no SOLUTION - withdrawing economic and military support from Israel will inevitably result in a far more costly, and probably nuclear, war in the region.
Solutions???
What angers me is that it seems increasingly apparent that left wing opposition to "Regime Change" in Iraq is mostly a reaction against the US Administration, rather than an educated and objective opinion about how to deal with the situation.
There are Labour MP's in England who, during the 80's (when Saddam was backed by the West) called for action against Iraq, yet are now backing Iraq against their own party lines. It's glaringly obvious that some people are more interested in opposing the "right" than doing what is "proper".
All this achieves (IMO) is the weakening of the political Left - especially in domestic politics.
Blind disregard and rejection of "Dubya's" foreign policy on the Left has resulted in an unprecedented electoral gain by the Republicans in the US giving them the senate and the house!
This is far more dangerous than any war in the Middle East.
So I ask - What policy should the Western World follow?
How should we respond to Sept 11???
If the people on the Left allow this debate to be controlled by the "Frodo's" of the world - they MUST provide an alternative!
If the "Ah_19's" of the world are allowed to spout their misguided interpretation of "realpolitik" - where is the response from the "Left"???
Is there ANYBODY who can provide a realistic alternative to current US and English policy???
Please!