[extropy-chat] [Politics] Real Politick

[The Avantguardian]

--- Matus <matus at matus1976.com> wrote:

> 
> Real politick was characterized by valuing stability
> over everything
> else.

Is that not the conservative motto: "Why change?"

> Iraq is certainly not an example of that. 
> The same people who
> today demand stability in Iraq are the ones who
> during the cold war
> demanded we leave other countries alone to let them
> 'choose their own
> path' (a path marked by massive communist influence
> helping them to
> 'choose their own way')  and the same leftist
> revisionists who are
> worried that a secular Shiite state will form in
> Iraq with Iran
> (nevermind the other 20 are sunni) were the ones who
> opposed every right
> wing dictator the US backed under the guise of
> stability.  Had we made a
> serious effort toward forming liberal democracies in
> the rest of the
> world back then (at best difficult given the
> practices of assassination
> of subversion by soviet agents), instead of
> following real politik only
> we might not be in the mess we are in today.

To a certain degree, I agree with you. I wasn't
actually talking about Iraq, but now that you bring it
up. I have already stated several times that I support
our CURRENT efforts in Iraq. I do not believe the war
was at all justified but as Powell warned us we might,
we broke it so now we have to buy it. And hopefully
fix it. It might cost us a trillion dollars and gas
might go up to $10 a gallon but hey that's the price
you pay when you throw your weight around like a bull
in a china closet. 
 
> Which do you prefer, short term stability under
> blood stained boot heels
> or long term stability under constitutions and
> liberal democracies?

I prefer we not fake reasons for war. But since the
milk is spilt, I prefer we do some democracy building
and try not to lose our own in the process.

> Which one is real politick?

Both, but the latter is more enlightened real
politick. Of course I hardly think that was the actual
motivation of the current administration. I don't
think Bush planned for anything past landing on that
aircraft carrier like he was Top Gun.


The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson


		
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