Monday, June 16, 2003

Are we paying attention? How much of the American public is paying attention and thinking about the consequences of our actions? Are we safer as Americans than before? Have we accelerated worldwide violence? I have to go back to the June 14 article, mentioned earlier,  reporting results from a poll of Americans. It states that: "A third of the American public believes U.S forces found weapons of mass destruction [in Iraq]. And 22 percent said Iraq actually used chemical or biological weapons. Before the war, half of those polled in a survey said Iraqis were among the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001." Maybe everyone in this country just finds things way too complex and difficult and would rather not think about it. Perhaps it is because there is no sex in it.  But let us hope that the enough of the public does maintain interest and demands that we clearly understand why we attacked Iraq. Clearly the rest of the world will be asking the question. The BBC News reports that our staunchest ally, Great Britain, has opened an inquiry. The same report states that in the US, "Senator Carl Levin said he had evidence that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deliberately withheld crucial information from the UN arms inspectors deployed to Iraq before the war to find evidence of banned weapons." It appears though that the Republican Congress refuses to investigate. 11:41:01 PM    comment []

The New American Empire?" "...[A] glance at America'a power and reach, its relations with other countries and the development of its strategic doctrine over the years shows a distinct move toward the pursuit of empire." So says Clyde Prestowitz in an article for Perspective. Prestowitz describes himself as a "...conservative and former high official in the Reagan administration." The article is based on his recently published book, Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions. Prestowitz sees America embarking on a course toward '"hard empire'", especially since September 11, in which we pursue the unilateral exercise of American power. He proclaims the results in Iraq as "problematic and "likely to become more so". Read the entire article. 10:46:59 AM    comment []