"Notes on World War I and Pre-Emptive Military Action."
The United States and Great Britain were prime drafters of this statement in 1919 at the End of World War I:
Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles
The Allied and Associated Governments affirm and Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.
- I believe this clause is crucial to understanding the diplomatic positions today of Germany, Belgium, and France as they pertain to the Iraq crisis. The dawn of World War I, while long ago, has not been forgotton.
On August 2, 1914, General Helmuth von Moltke, "acting under a dicate of self-preservation," demanded that Belgium permit German armies to pass through it's territory. Belgium refused. Germany invaded France by way of Belgium on August 3.
It is not a coincidence that the three NATO countries to veto a recent Iraq-related initiative were Belgium, Germany and France. In 1919, Germany had been an invader, and the other two nations were the invaded. In addition, Germany, from the beginning of this crisis, stated that it would not participate in a pre-emptive military action under the rationale of self defense. France's position is different, in that it has not ruled out the possibility.
I believe the positions are rooted in the Treaty of Versailles.
We in America should be concerned and cautious about this proposed action against Iraq, in that the United States has gone on record as stating that World War I began as a result of a pre-emptive military action.
- Gary Santoro
5:39:28 AM 
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