From: Walter Watts (wlwatts@cox.net)
Date: Sat Sep 14 2002 - 15:52:11 MDT
Thank you, James. A fine summary, indeed.
Walter
James Thompson wrote:
> There has been a lot of debate over Saddam and terrorism and the threat
> they pose to our security. Please take the time to read this short
> summary on an entirely different approach to the situation and perhaps
> we can turn the tide of the current perceptual conflicts which seem to
> be only hindering us. I think that the whole discussion over whether or
> not to remove Saddam is not only quite irrelevant in the long run, but
> also the product of a self-defeating dillusion being initially
> propagated by those that wish to manipulate the minds of the public in
> order to further their own agenda. If you cut off the top of a weed,
> it will inevitably grow back. If we want real security, why not address
> the roots of the problem? What social, political, or economic factors
> allow such a man to rise to that level of power? In the aftermath of
> the Cold War, it should have become clear to citizens everywhere that it
> is not the march of armies that is the clearest threat to peace and
> stability but rather the disaster of pervasive resource loss, refugees
> who are forced across borders, and social instability that makes war
> primarily an action within, rather than between states. Global leaders
> and citizens must find a new sense of mission and destiny, and must
> reclaim the security terminology from war-making institutions. Social,
> economic, and environmental stresses and pressures on societies
> worldwide call for a new definition of security, and hence for a new set
> of priorities. Poverty, unequal distribution of land, and the
> degradation of ecosystems are among the most pressing issues undermining
> security. Soldiers and tanks are at best irrelevant and at worst an
> obstacle to solving problems. An understanding of security that fits
> today's world will require a shift from conflicts of national security
> to cooperation for global security. Instead of defense of the status
> quo, sustainable security calls for change and adaption; instead of
> "green-helmet" intervention forces, we will need to transform war-making
> institutions, and create new priorities for sustainable development.
> - veridicus
-- Walter Watts Tulsa Network Solutions, Inc. "No one gets to see the Wizard! Not nobody! Not no how!"
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