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BalefireX · 10-10-2004, 08:36 PM

Perhaps there is a translation issue, because I have tried to make it very clear in my previous posts that I do NOT believe it is for humanitarian reasons, I believe that it is because the US government is doing what it feels is in the best interest of the US.

However that does not mean that it is the wrong thing to do in terms of the Iraqi people!

Do you know how many people died liberating France? Was that a waste of time because it took many years and cost millions of lives? Is the freedom of a Frenchman worth more than the freedom of an Iraqi?

Lets not fool ourselves here - the UN wasn't going to remove Saddam. He had been systematically misleading UN inspectors for decades, and was still oppressing his people.

I for one am glad that he is no longer in power, and if the reason he is no longer in power is because it serves American interests, thats a side issue.

If the UN would like to step up and deal with North Korea, or the conflict in the Sudan, or any of the other world issues, and they want to go at it without US support, good for them, I will applaud and support them 100%. However, until they stop bickering among themselves and start doing what they were formed to do, they may as well be nonexistant.

When I was last in the US, I certainly saw the same sort of news that I see daily here in Europe, at least in terms of the same sort of pictures. The rhetoric is less Anti-American, but then again, how much of the media in France talks about how horrible french people are? Sure, its a real and nasty war - war is hell. That doesn't make it wrong.

I think that Americans do care about what other countries think, just like I bet you care about what your friends think of you. However, when it comes to important decisions, you are going to go with what YOU believe, not what your friends think. Americans understand that Europe has different opinions, and would do things differently, but they are going to do what they believe in. French people should make important French decisions, Americans should make important American decisions, etc. You wouldn't want Chirac to do something he didn't believe was in the best interests of France because of what the US wanted, would you?

It seems, at least to me, that there is a double standard - why should European countries be allowed to stick to their principles without being hated when America cannot?

10-10-2004, 08:36 PM	#23
BalefireX Cooling Savant Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Isle of Man Posts: 269	Perhaps there is a translation issue, because I have tried to make it very clear in my previous posts that I do NOT believe it is for humanitarian reasons, I believe that it is because the US government is doing what it feels is in the best interest of the US. However that does not mean that it is the wrong thing to do in terms of the Iraqi people! Do you know how many people died liberating France? Was that a waste of time because it took many years and cost millions of lives? Is the freedom of a Frenchman worth more than the freedom of an Iraqi? Lets not fool ourselves here - the UN wasn't going to remove Saddam. He had been systematically misleading UN inspectors for decades, and was still oppressing his people. I for one am glad that he is no longer in power, and if the reason he is no longer in power is because it serves American interests, thats a side issue. If the UN would like to step up and deal with North Korea, or the conflict in the Sudan, or any of the other world issues, and they want to go at it without US support, good for them, I will applaud and support them 100%. However, until they stop bickering among themselves and start doing what they were formed to do, they may as well be nonexistant. When I was last in the US, I certainly saw the same sort of news that I see daily here in Europe, at least in terms of the same sort of pictures. The rhetoric is less Anti-American, but then again, how much of the media in France talks about how horrible french people are? Sure, its a real and nasty war - war is hell. That doesn't make it wrong. I think that Americans do care about what other countries think, just like I bet you care about what your friends think of you. However, when it comes to important decisions, you are going to go with what YOU believe, not what your friends think. Americans understand that Europe has different opinions, and would do things differently, but they are going to do what they believe in. French people should make important French decisions, Americans should make important American decisions, etc. You wouldn't want Chirac to do something he didn't believe was in the best interests of France because of what the US wanted, would you? It seems, at least to me, that there is a double standard - why should European countries be allowed to stick to their principles without being hated when America cannot? __________________ If not, why not?