Peace for our time

BBC's Letter From America ^ | 2/3/2003 | Alistair Cooke

[RonF]

He does ramble a bit, doesn't he? I guess when you're as old as he is you're entitled. Stick with him, though, and you'll get a good punch line or two. This is his latest.

[RonF]

Bump.

[Jimmyclyde]

The French especially urged, after every Hitler invasion, "negotiation, negotiation". They negotiated so successfully as to have their whole country defeated and occupied. But as one famous French leftist said: "We did anyway manage to make them declare Paris an open city - no bombs on us!"

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

What p*ssies.

[Jimmyclyde]

On a personal note, this is now the 4th thread today that I, along with others have bashed the french.

A new record on FR I believe.

And the hits just keep on commin!

[Billthedrill]

He will be ignored. It took the brutal invasion of a neighbor to force Europeans to face the fact that Hitler wasn't going to be stopped with less than violence. Saddam has already done this and still "there is no proof" echoes throughout Europe. Hitler's axis ended in a mushroom cloud; this one may well begin in one.

[uncbuck]

I need to show this to my friend who thinks we are going to kill every Iraqi, and therefore thinks we should not attack.

[T. P. Pole]

Wonderful story from history. Alas, nothing will be learned by this among those that need the lesson.

[uncbuck]

Kudos again Ron, I remember him from Masterpiece Theater.

I'm amazed that the BBC is alowing 'war mongering' to go on.
My experience has been that they are extremely liberal, at least in there broadcast department.

[RobFromGa]

thanks for the "ping".

[Tom Bombadil]

Neville Chamberlain is the pattern or mold for many present day peace weenies who can't see past their own naive intentions.

The real world is a dangerousl place.

[RonF]

My experience has been that they are extremely liberal, at least in there broadcast department.

One of the leaders in a Scouting unit I am affiliated with is married to a Palestinian man. She is Christian, I don't know what he is, but she is far and away from being a subjugated female. Anyway, she recommended to me during a discussion about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that I should watch the BBC to get a more balanced viewpoint, as the American media tends to be too pro-Israel.

Alistair Cooke is apparently quite the institution; he's got a job for life. It's interesting to read a comparison of the current conflict with Europe in the '30's from someone who was there.

[RonF]

... I remember him from Masterpiece Theater.

Yes, and that's all that 95% of Americans know about him. Too bad, too.

[Free ThinkerNY]

Peace For Our Time

by Neville Chamberlain

The following is the wording of the printed statement that Neville Chamberlain waved as he stepped off the plane on 30 September, 1938 after the Munich Conference had ended the day before:

"We, the German Führer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for our two countries and for Europe.
We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again.
We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe."

Chamberlain read the above statement in front of 10 Downing St. and said:
"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time... Go home and get a nice quiet sleep."

[Free ThinkerNY]

Hitler said after meeting with Neville Chamberlain:
"Our enemies are like little worms, I saw them all at Munich."

A similar statement has probably been made by Saddam Insane after meeting with some of the "Neo-Neville Chamberlains" of the "Peace" movement.

[John Locke]

The League of Nations had its chance to prove itself when Mussolini invaded and conquered Ethiopia (Abyssinia).

Trust Alistair Cooke to get Chamberlain's line right - peace for our time.

But the above, in my opinion, is the crux. Hitler did not create his own path to war; the trail was blazed by Mussolini. And one of the crucial markers on that trail was the day in September 1936 when he suspended all Italian participation in the League of Nations.

This has been worrying me for weeks, and I'd like to share that worry. When Mussolini acted, the League was essentially defunct. It had failed spectacularly over Abyssinia, it had failed even to uphold its own sanctions against Italy - sanctions that were deliberately chosen to be ineffective in the first place.

Italy's withdrawal - made official in December 1937 - had no military or political significance whatever. It changed nothing in Europe or Africa; it neither added to nor subtracted from Italy's military power or the League's influence. It was a symbolic gesture; but in history symbols are often deeply revealing.

What Italy did was to announce in public what the diplomats were saying in private: that "collective security" was a myth. That the existing institutions, national or transnational, had no effective leverage they were both able and willing to bring to bear, and the sham could therefore be exposed at no risk and no cost.

The which calculation, as we now know, was correct.

Well, last month we passed another trail marker that is eerily similar, and too similar for my peace of mind. No, not in Iraq or even close, but in East Asia.

On 10 January 2003, North Korea formally withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Again, this has no military or political significance; it is a symbol. A symbol of North Korea's belief that nowhere in the entire world do both the will and the means exist to bring leverage against her.

My fear is that this calculation, also, is correct. And, therefore, that a third general war is now inevitable.

[Terriergal]

He does ramble a bit, doesn't he?

It's that inimitable British style of writing. I love it.

Great article... great article.

[RnMomof7]

He does ramble a bit, doesn't he?

Not for anyone with an attention span....something that was commonplace in his prime, but now is no where to be found in America.

[RnMomof7]

I loved it too. We are having a Sunday School series on what the bible says of Just Wars..a timely teaching that is being given to adults and teens.

[Terriergal]

If you read Mere Christianity you'll find CS Lewis rambles also, because it is a transcription of a radio broadcast. I find that many British writers write the way they speak, it's charming. I got in trouble for it a lot in college English. My grad student teacher hated when I wrote that way. :-( *sigh*

[Terriergal]

We are having a Sunday School series on what the bible says of Just Wars.

Any specific materials you're using? I would love it if we could have one going on at our church too. Cyrano would be an excellent leader. But so far no one seems to be talking about that particular elephant in the living room at our church!