: : does anyone have any thoughts on the Lincoln Douglas debate on -the use of economic sanctions to achieve U.S. foreign policygoals ought to be immoral.: Until last spring I was a staunch supporter of US-UN sanctions on Iraq and Libya. I opposed the sanctions on Cuba, for different reasons; because I felt that the US should be helping Cuba's socialist susystem, not trying to crush it. I opposed the Cuban sanctions specifically, but not sanctions in general. In fact, if you asked me then, I would have supported placing sanctions on Indonesia, Nigeria, maybe China, and several others of the more sordid tyrannies, some capitalist, some socialist around the world.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Hold on here! Cuba isolated itself because of its commitment to export revolution to other Central and South American countries. Isn't it silly to finance our own overthrow?
: Since then I've had a change of heart. I went to a couple of rallies and I learned that a million Iraqi kids have died because of UN sanctions that restrict adequate food and medicine from reaching the people. Now, of course Saddam is bad, posibly teh worst major leader of any country in teh world (possible exceptions include General Suharto, Mullah Mohamed Omar of afghanistan [aka the Commander of the Faithful], and a few other villains. However, if I detest Saddam for causing the deaths of Iraqi civilians, how can I support policies that cause teh death of anotehr million?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Yes, but Nikhil, that sort of logic leads to the conclusion that you support neither one side nor the other. The American Civil War cost approx. 6 M. lives. Are you saying that you could not find your way to support one side or the other?
If your interested in stopping the oppression of others, how about using a page from Reagan vis-a-vis Afghanistan? If the locals, say the Kurds, need Stinger missles, let's supply them with Stingers.
I don't consider this exporting revolution as much as I see it as exporting our own Second Amendment to countries in need of it. heh heh.
: If we want to get rid of saddam Hsusein, and I certainly do, then we should go about it the honorable way. Assassinate the man, or invade Iraq; although people would die in an invasion, it's almost certain that casualties would be under a million, which is teh number of Iraqi kids who have died as of this moment.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Assassinating foreign leaders is honorable? Invasion of a sovereign country is honorable?
: Howevre, I certainly do not think that the US shoudl make a special effort to trade in or invest in Iraq, Nigeria, Indonesia, or otehr countries that carry tyranny to its moern extreme.
A unilateral decision by the US not to trade with Iraq et al. has no real effect because that vacuum will be filled by other nations. Remember S. Africa ante-aparthied?
None.
