By: Jeremiah Chiappelli, Editor
Because I wasn't getting any mail, I thought I'd talk about the "War on Iraq". At first I was going to talk about how meaningless it is in the larger scheme of things. How whether America fights or not, the price of oil probably won't change that much. How whether America fights or not, dictators will still rule some third-world nations. How whether America fights or not, the 'war' will not be a major issue in the next presidential election. Etc. Etc.
But then I realized that that is a stupid position for an editor of an alternative history webzine to take. The point of some good alternative history is to make mountains out of historical molehills. What are the implications of this extremely limited war? What are the implications if the public pressure and foreign pressure make Bush back down? There's plenty of material to feed a creative mind.
On one hand, perhaps this is the beginning of a new era of peace in the world where petty dictators will be knocked down by the worlds only superpower. Tyranny and fear will become a relic of the past. US involvement will rebuild their economies on self-sufficient, sustainable models leading to greater prosperity for all.
Or, on the other hand, perhaps this is the beginning of a new era of American imperialism where the US does whatever it feels like despite what the international community thinks. No longer will Americans have to worry about oil or other scarce resources because if the US runs low, the American government will just invade someone who has them. Other nations economies will be transformed into factories producing cheap goods for the US.
Then again, maybe this is just the last hurrah of a dying era. The Cold war is over but we still have the same cold warriors in charge with the same military-industrial complex. Try as they might to get the American people up in arms over Iraq, the majority of the people are against the war. Will they just fade away like old soldiers do? Or will they go out with on last bang?
Perhaps this is just business as usual. Despite the rhetoric of American politicians, US foreign policy has been very consistent. It seeks to keep foreign markets open, keep natural resources cheap and available, and prevent strong competition. Why go after Iraq? Because Iraq made the mistake of having something the US wants and then not selling it to them.
I think the proposed war on Iraq is stupid. I don't make a secret of that. The justifications that have been advanced can just as easily be applied to North Korea, Israel, Mexico, or practically any other nation. They might have weapons of mass destruction. A lot of nations are ruled by dictators. A lot of nations are in violation of international law (including the US). Dubya Bush didn't win his election, the deciding factors were the state that his brother was governor of and the Supreme Court that his daddy appointed. The majority of Americans and international opinion are against the war in Iraq and still Dubya wants to push onwards. Hmmm, he sounds like another leader I know who disregards the people he governs and international opinion... I think he just wants a grand, little war to distract people from his other policies, help out his oil buddies, and make daddy proud. And as a reason to shed gallons of blood on the desert, those are bad reasons.
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