Afghanistan is O.K.

I thought of a quotation from Fareed Zakaria in his essay, Islam, Democracy, and Constitutional Liberalism, which I felt succintly explained this clash between democracy and Islam through the eyes of Bin Laden, "Democracy...is a western invention. Its emphasis on freedom and tolerance produces social decay and licentiousness."

Democracy may have been equated as akin to prostitution, but it seems what those in power are concerned of is the possibility to lose such power. Democracy creates uncertainty because it is an instrument of the people that doesn't provide any guarantees.

In regards to the Afghan election, it appears those in power are "freaked out." This contesting of their election should be a sign that democracy is working!

Even those in United States, specifically lawyers, are preparing to fight an election -- ours. Afghanistan is just mirroring the United States. So, it seems that everything is on par.

International Children

The United Nations appears to be nothing more than an idealistic entity that has struggled to carve out its own sovereign identity. Allowing an African country to have a permanent seat seems fair and logical -- equitable representation. (Ultimately, what good would actually arise from this? How large can the permanent council become until it is rendered useless?)

But the statement from Germany, India, Brazil, and Japan appears to be an exercise in ego. The international system is made up of child-like actors all playing the game, “King of the Hill.” The U.N. is their playground.

Meisler has influenced my thinking on this and perhaps it will change. But until then, this is where my U.N. thoughts lie.

Response to Abu Graib and My Lai

When the Abu Graib story had first “hit the wires,” I remember hearing about the U.S. soldier abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Now, while not knowing the particulars at the time, I had shrugged off the news story with an initial first response of: It is wrong… but understandable. In asking how this could happen, I decided that the military personnel in question were just using Abu Graib as a channel to release their anger over the Iraq situation.

Knowing what we know now, I made a very trite and pathetic summation. But, after reading the BBC “My Lai” report and then Hersh’s articles, my initial reaction to Abu Graib may hold some water. It seeks to explain the question: How?

How can a human being consciously decide to commit such atrocities and furthermore, even after the Nazi Regime, My Lai, Rwanda, and Abu Graib, continue to carry out such crimes. I guess this question is more of a psychology question, but is one that I would like to have addressed. The articles presented tell the story well, but in my opinion are missing that key question: how?

“Evil doers” exist and there is something so sinister beyond comprehension that prompts decent people to run afoul of immorality. There is some greater explanation than the cliché, “I was just following orders…”

War is the answer, peace is the result...

A parked car on the Pepperdine campus had a bumper sticker that read, “war is the answer, peace is the result.” At first read, it seems a paradox to think that somehow war and peace can coincide. But isn’t the freedom that we Americans enjoy due in part to the use of force? What good is a superpower if it can’t flex its muscles?

This week the Republicans have praised president Bush for shifting U.S. foreign policy from playing a defensive role to playing an offensive one. While the OAS charter is clear that “no state has the right to intervene in the internal or external affairs of another,” it doesn’t address the question, well, does a state have the right to intervene in the affairs of another if that state is planning or aiding a transnational actor with the intent to inflict harm upon another state? (in this case, the U.S.)

Finally, in the case of Iraq, the point was made tonight in class (and by many others) that the Bush administration justified this preventative war based on a lie that Colin Powell gave to the security council about Iraq’s WMDs and that this war is illegitimate. What really frustrates me with this argument is the fact that we can’t undo what already has been done. I think of Iraq as having a “you break, you buy” policy. In that, we are there, we’ve broken it, and now we need to fix it. Checking out and bringing our troops home (who I am extremely proud of), is not the answer. This war was the answer, it has already delivered, and paradoxically, peace will be the result.