[lit-ideas] Re: with or without Bush
- From: Michael Chase <goya@xxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 03 Aug 2004 10:30:15 -0700
<snip>
>
> After 9.11, even if one took the most generous pro-Bush position, one=20=
> must admit that the US
> government could have done very little because, as the Report points=20=
> out in overwhelming
> detail, the government system has been completely incapable at all=20
> levels of dealing with al
> Qaeda. Even if Bush were George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and=20
> Albert Einstein all in one,
> he would not have been able to do much.
M.C. Surely that's false. If Bush (a) had been aware and (b) had given=20=
a rat's ass about the disastrous American intelligence situation, then=20=
he would bloody well have begun its fundamental, top-to-bottom reform,=20=
within a week after 9/11. Start immediately to increase the number of=20
Arabic language and Islamic specialists by about 100 fold, however much=20=
it costs.
As always, the main problem with U.S. foreign policy is the =
ignorance=20
on which it's based. What *is* Islam? What are the differences between=20=
Sunnis and Shi'ites? What is Baathism, if such a thing can really be=20
said to exist=A0? What are the differences and similarities between=20
Baathism (if it exists) and al-Qaeda-style Islamic fundamentalism? What=20=
are the nature, goals, and influence of Iranian-backed Shi'ite=20
fundamentalism? The same questions have to be asked and answered about=20=
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and a host of other=20
nations.
Under the American =93intelligence" community is in a position =
to answer=20
these questions, they're just pissing in the wind. All they have on=20
their side is brute force, and brute force always loses sooner or=20
later.
It seems to me as clear as noon in Baghdad that the Americans =
are=20
going to lose the war in Iraq, sooner rather than later. The winners=20
will be the fundamentalists, who, as Andreas correctly states, are=20
already back in power in Afghanistan. What we can expect from the Iraq=20=
of the future is epitomized by the case of Iraqi Christians: left alone=20=
under Sadaam, they are now the targets of systematic, well-organized=20
terrorist attacks. After two thousand years of peaceful existence in=20
their homeland, they will no doubt be annihilated within 5 to 10 years.
All of this appalling, depressing, disastrous situation - yes, =
Eric=20
and Andreas, *all* of it - is due to the greed and stupidity of the =20
Bush administration. That's where the buck stops.
>
>
Michael Chase
(goya@xxxxxxxxxxx)
CNRS UPR 76
7, rue Guy Moquet
Villejuif 94801
France
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