Victor Davis Hanson: Response to Readership 6/28/04

VictorHanson.com ^ | 6/28/2004 | Victor Davis Hanson

[Tolik]

What are your thoughts on the International Institute of Strategic Studies' Strategic Survey 2003-4, which contends that Al-Qaeda has grown because of the war in Iraq and that there are still 18,000 Al-Qaeda members still active around the world?

Hanson: If true, that is equal to a division- far less than the 20 million or so Japanese, German, and Italian combatants that we took on in World War II, much less the 2 billion Chinese, Russians, Eastern Europeans, and African and Asian states that made up the so-called communist bloc. I am wary of the

[Tolik]

    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

[Bahbah]

"For now "Chalabi" has become a buzz word, a mere symbol like "Halliburton" or "Guantanamo" that is evoked to whip up emotion, not to discuss a complex problem."

This man is so insightful.

[metesky]

Hanson: Calm down and quit the boilerplate hyperbole that only reflects a hysteria rather than reasoned analysis.

Ouch!

[RW1974]

VDH should be SecState in W's second term.

[omega4412]

Q: "...from the get-go the U.S.-imposed regime of sanctions upon Iraq was grossly immoral..."

Sanctions are a form of siege warfare, and in any siege it is the civilians who suffer more than the military. (It's the civilans' partriotic duty to do so!) We had overwhelming force in place during Gulf War I and should have used it to take Baghdad, liberate the Kurds and Shiites...

[Gorjus]

in any siege it is the civilians who suffer more than the military bureaucrats.

One small quibble. Grunts often suffer even worse than the civilians. The REMFs and bureaucrats do all right, though - or at least, they're the last to feel any hardship.

[Tolik]

I'd be satisfied with ANY top advisory role for him, does not matter how to call it (assuming him taking an offer, of course).

[AZLiberty]

Bah. The sanctions were against the government, not the people. The Oil-for-Food program was created to ensure that the Iraqi people would receive food and medicine despite sanctions. Saddam, with the connivance of friends in France, Germany, and Russia, used the money to build palaces instead.

Not our fault.

[DuncanWaring]

We had overwhelming force in place during Gulf War I and should have used it to take Baghdad, liberate the Kurds and Shiites...

We didn't.

Why not?

Because that's what happens when you get the UN involved.

GHWB made the mistake of doing what his enemies want GWB to do.

[DuncanWaring]

These policy decisions caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in both instances.

The death of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis was due to SH's failure to honor his agreement at the end of the Gulf War.

Heck, even without clorine to disinfect water (as an example), he could have provided oil to the populace to boil water, had he wanted to.

But, he didn't want to.

That is why hundred of thousands died.

[prognostigaator]

bump

[prognostigaator]

bump

[omega4412]

Exactly my point. In sieges/blockades/sanctions, the muckety-mucks (dictators, bureaucrats, REMFS, whatever) make sure that what they want/need is the highest priority.

You're right that Saddam and his buddies were the ones who abused the oil-for-food program. What was our fault was not going to Baghdad and knocking the be-allah out of Saddam in GWI.

[lainde]

bttt