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To: George W. Bush
Well, let's see, we had the French and British trying to take over the Suez Canal in the late 1950's, of course using the Israelies to do most of the job, We also have the Algerian War in the early 60's, and where do you think Vietnam came from? That wasn't exactly OUR war to begin with. Most of our problems today are a DIRECT result of European imperialists. Why do we need there permission for anything? Anyway, what was your point again?
96 posted on 02/05/2004 12:17:30 PM PST by jempet
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To: jempet
Well, let's see, we had the French and British trying to take over the Suez Canal in the late 1950's, of course using the Israelies to do most of the job, We also have the Algerian War in the early 60's, and where do you think Vietnam came from? That wasn't exactly OUR war to begin with.

The Suez Canal flap was an issue of national sovereignty over a body of water, not over its territorial integrity. Britain and France were not trying to conquer and annex Egyptian soil. Since they didn't succeed (only Israel having demonstrated military effectiveness), it can hardly be said to further your argument.

The Algerian war was complex, being a French matter, but it was also a colonial concern which eventually led to their independence. Again, not a war of conquest by France. An enforcement of the perogatives of a recognized colonial empire.

Vietnam was much the same. However, Viet Nam had attempted to secure independence when the post-war planning was going on where Algeria did not. When the French whined to us that they would collapse to the Red threat domestically if they didn't have someone to look down on and kick around, we paid 80% of their Vietnam war costs and even provided most of their initial troop transport. And when they failed, we picked up the ball, LBJ wailing for instance that if Vietnam was lost, we'd have to pull our defenses back to the Golden Gate bridge.

At any rate, you've hardly established a case for European powers engaging in wars of conquest for annexation and colonizing in the last fifty years. I could name a few smaller examples of exactly that but they wouldn't prove your case either.
99 posted on 02/05/2004 12:33:55 PM PST by George W. Bush (It's the Congress, stupid.)
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