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Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

lunarchick - 09:06am Mar 26, 2001 EST (#1536 of 1540)
lunarchick@www.com

Premonition - or did i re-post a post?

The value of Korean harmony, as noted above, might be an all weather port facility with a rail-line to Moscow and on to London ...

Economic considerations over-ride military posturing ... (there was a half century time delay on this one)!

lunarchick - 09:10am Mar 26, 2001 EST (#1537 of 1540)
lunarchick@www.com

On cultural understanding ... a popular 'dream' dreamed by many UK people, is the dream of having TEA with the Queen. On enlightenment re cultural understanding The Dutchess of York gives a different take on this ceremony ! (above Reuters)

almarst-2001 - 09:51am Mar 26, 2001 EST (#1538 of 1540)

Iraq Protests Over Air Strikes - http://www.newsday.com/ap/text/international/ap205.htm

"GENEVA (AP) -- Iraq has protested to the top United Nations human rights panel over British and U.S. air strikes that it said have killed or wounded more than 1,000 people in the past decade, officials said Monday.

The Iraqi government ''regards the suffering to which the Iraqi people are being subjected as a form of genocide,'' said a note submitted to the 53-nation U.N. Human Rights Commission, which began its annual six-week session in Geneva last week.

U.N. officials released the text of the note Monday.

It demanded that the world ''establish a special international tribunal before which United States and British officials would be tried for the war crimes, crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity that are being committed against the Iraqi people.''

rshowalter - 10:05am Mar 26, 2001 EST (#1539 of 1540)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Some complex negotiations, at the UN, among nations, and among other people, might be necessary to get this done.

I would, however, want to make the point that, while punishment is an issue, setting the record straight so that people, all over the world, are clear about the facts of what happened, is in significant ways more important.

If those facts were in place, and a fair dialog occurred about them, the argument might be clarified that weapons of mass destruction need to be eliminated. There needs to be a balance.

If Iraq was "opened up" to this, and North Korea was opened up in similar ways, the most problematic objections to a more peaceful world, without nuclear weapons, would be elminated. And "Star Wars" missile defenses would make no sense at all.

And both Iraq, and North Korea might become much prouder, happier, more prosperous, and safer places.

rshowalter - 10:11am Mar 26, 2001 EST (#1540 of 1540)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

A redemptive solution, involving a reframing in some places, may be required, not for moral reasons, though these are significant, but simply because there is no "step by step logical" solution available for the complex and conflicted circumstances.

That's just a suggestion. But one that might be considered. The question "who should be punished?" is an important one, and an essential one in human affairs. But it is not the only question. Here is another question.

" What can be done, from where we are, to serve the interests of the people involved, in the ways that, on balance, are most advantageous to all concerned, and consistent with fairness and justice, when taken as a whole."

As a minimum , I believe that Iraq deserves some clear apologies, and some compensation, and the US may well deserve some apologies as well. And perhaps, in a situation as complicated as this one, some compensation may be due, from Iraq, concerning other matters.

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