The War on Terror

Simon Jenkins has done a powerful job of damning the actions of Bush and Musharraf. If only he'd dealt Tony his rightful share of vitriol too this would have been a masterpiece!

1st there was Iraq's WMD and now there's Iran's

On CiF today.

I'm still too numb from the Iraq debacle to even consider this as a real prospect. Put it this way: The American military don't want war, the American people don't want war, the Iranians don't want war, the Euopeans don't want war. Every informed analyst across the globe says it would be another disaster. So why is it still being pushed by the Shrubbery? Why do these things happen when everyone knows they are going to be a disaster? It's like Western society is masochistic and wants to hurt itself and other people around it. This is why society is in such dire need of a change of government style. If such decisions are left up to some faceless diplomats, ministers and civil servants in London then you will end up with inhuman decisions. If we were allowed to practice direct democracy, can anyone see an attack on Iran happening with UK endorsement? I can't.

Example of an oxymoron: A war on Terror

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"Civilized societies, it is said, adhere to the generally accepted principles of international law, including the laws of war. By their very nature barbarians and ‘savages’ are deemed incapable of abiding by such laws. While terrorists might be capable, they are unwilling to do so. In this respect they are something akin to modern day ‘savages’; at least in terms of their problematic place in the international system and international law."

Adherence to the generally accepted principles of international law, including the laws of war, is exactly what Bush and- to a lesser extent- Blair have not done. Therbey lowering themselves to the level of despots and their respective 'civilisations' to tyrranies.

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