With war appearing imminent I thought I should post my feelings about it just as thousands have already done and will continue to do during the coming days. It pains me to see that a country that I considered home for a part of my life is rearing to go to war. I am totally against it but since it is going to happen anyway, I hope that the destruction and loss of lives will be minimal among the victor and the vanquished.
Forget for a moment that you are American or support the American position (if you are indeed of that persuasion). Imagine you are an alien watching the proceedings on planet Earth from a safe distance. How would you interpret statements like "We are a peaceful people" and "we enforce the just demands of the world" from Bush's speech a few days ago? I personally have trouble seeing who the good guys are in the conflict.
Alternatively, imagine you are an Iraqi. Another country tells your president to get the heck out within 48 hours or suffer the consequences! Iraq is clearly not a democracy but replacing their head of state by force seems to be taking a good thing too far. Which is going to be the next lucky country?
Scott's Rosenberg's Eve of Destruction on Salon is a very readable argument against going to war. It's not the war itself that will be difficult to deal with; it's what will come later. So those who are laughing and beating the drums of war from the comfort of your homes consider how the civilians in Iraq will view the destruction around them. They cannot just switch off their TV to stop the horror.
Robin Cook's resignation speech has an eloquence that I have not seen from American politicians recently.
Once it's all over I dearly hope that we can return to peace the way we knew it before 9/11 or during the cold war. The pessimist in me says that our troubles are just beginning.
9:19:42 PM 
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