Iraq freedom/market place

[teancum79]

While I've not been to opposed to the war in Iraq. You know freedom to make choices and not get killed for giving someone the bird and such is a good thing. I am concerned with trends like the one in this story. Iraq is not America and I think if we make them too much like we are they are going to miss out on some good things they do have.



'link'

So given that the war in Iraq is a fact of history now. How much should the US import its culture, values and economics along with basic freedoms?

[dianaholberg]

There's nothing particularly American about all that. Europe is just as big into telephony.

[teancum79]

True, maybe I should have said Western culture.

[Tara]

I think that the sharing of cultural customs is nice and all, especially if it helps to benefit the culture in the way they wish to be benefited. But I'm saying that if people don't really share certain ways of thinking or wish to contribute economically to the same things that we do, then I don't think it's a good idea to try to force it on them. Especially if they feel it would be harmful to their culture, even if we think otherwise. It's their culture and they should be free to live it the way they wish.

And just a quick note on a though I had the other day... with the U.S. stepping into the Iraq war... it must be like if the U.S. was having a civil war. Let's say for example, between the North and the South all over again and someone like England steps in the middle and tries to prevent us from dealing with our battles in our own way. I could just imagine how annoying and frustrating that would be.

[dianaholberg]

Tara, there was no Iraq war to step into. What there was, was a dictatorship which proved over and over to care nothing for the welfare of the Iraqi people. People were being killed routinely, subjected to chemical warfare by their government, 500000 children murdered, etc. etc. And all this in spite of over a decade of warnings and sanctions by the U.N.. (That web page is outdated, but it does provide a good list of the sanctions.)

If the U.S. knows all of this, how long are we to allow it to continue? Is 10+ years not long enough? That alone was sufficient reason to step in, never mind the contributions to and protection of terrorist groups in opposition to us.