Yesterday somebody asked me if I was against the war in Iraq and though it is always politically correct to say "yes, I am against", I really couldnt bring myself to say it. Immediately, I was accused of being a Bush supporter, a hypocrite and what not. And I have been brooding since then : Can everybody who thinks differently on the Iraq and Afghanistan war be classified as a Bush supporter?
Lets see the Iraq war in hindsight. There is no denying the fact the reasons for which USA and UK attacked Iraq were proved to be fictitious, no more than a figment of CIA's imagination. So the reasons for going on war with Iraq were bad, no questions about them. US and UK should have never declared war on Iraq based on such lies.Period!
So lets reflect for a moment what the situations would have been without the war. Saddam would have continued with its dictatorial regime. Kurds, the unfortunate minority would have been continued to get slaughtered, Chemical Ali (the main chemical war expert with Saddam) would have continued with his experiments on Kurds. And the world would have kept a closed eye towards all that because of course, these are all internal affairs of a nation. Right! If you think so, you may as well remember that this is exactly what the world leaders did (leave German Jews on their own conditions while Hitler was obliterating them on mass-scale). And the entire world paid a heavy price a few years later in the form of a terrible war.
Similarly, this is again what world leaders did while hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were being killed by Hutu rebels in Rwanda. Just considered it as an internal affair of a country. This is exactly what countries have been doing in Darfur till the other day, just looking the other way when millions are dying, homeless, in need of food.
So here is what I have to say to the people who strongly believe that no nation should interfere in another country's affairs come what may - think about the minorities like Kurds, Tutsis and Darfurians before you say no to war of any kind. Because sometimes wars fought on pathetic grounds (like naked lies of Mr. Bush and Blair) are the only good news and hope for such people. I rest my case.
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7 comments:
Nice write-up ... I support your argument :)
:).. good to see ur blog , keep writing..
I get what you are trying to say. But I am of the firmest believer that he who does not help himself can never be helped. So, in spite of the fact that such aggressions have helped some section of the population, it is unwelcome.
The people of that country has to make an effort to change the situation. Otherwise it will be a failed state. Just like Iraq now.
Nice to see you blogging. Good blog. Bit controversial topic though :).
Actually, I have a different view. Condition of the people in some north-east states in India are quite bad because of Government ignorance. Kashmir people also suffer from bad Government policies. But I doubt if I would like US or UK to bomb on us because of that. Gujrat massacre, Babri Masjid fall, Bombay riots, helpless minorities .. so many bad things here .. but I will not want china to destroy us because of that.
Anway, different people different views. Keep writing.
Hirok,
In principle, you are totally right. One must help themselves. However, history is replete with examples where an outside help resulted in overall good in the long run.e.g. - French help to Americans against british and more recently, International community's help to Rwandans (Tutsi community). You can count Afghanistan also where at least a part of the country is Taliban free now (so much good for India now). So even though Iraq is simmering now, I consider it more of a strategic failure of military. Hopefully some 'Amrit' will come out of the present 'Samudra Manthan'.
Biplab da:
Like you, I would also be infuriated if somebody attacked us on such pretexts as mentioned by you. However, the defining difference between India and Iraq or Talibanised Afghanistan is that we are a democracy. We have democratic institutions to take care of our internal problems. We have a constitution which safeguards (or is supposed to safeguard our interests). Unfortunately in a dictatorial regime like that of Saddam, like that in present Sudan, like that on Taliban; the common people and the minorities have nowhere to go. And it is then that I feel an external help is required, necessary and even morally obligatory on all of us.
since india is occupied with so many problems in north, north-east, south.
Therefore, pakistan should attack on india and deploy his army.
Not exactly ...
Your argument jolly well entertains the British as they helped India get rid of Mughal empire!
Things have not improved post-war; neither in Iraq nor in Taliban. UN was a marionette in the hands of US hegemony!
No war at any cost brings any humanitarian value. That's what Gandhiji believed! Attack on Iraq was any way not the last resort to the world at large except for the US. The alibi put forward was even ludicrous.
Every part of this world is today infected with minority. In nutshell they have become the majority to the world force! The jihad can therefore be justified as they intend to protect islam from anti-God religions like Hindu and Christian.
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