THE EDITOR, Sir:
THERE IS another side to the story in this impending US-Iraq war. First of all, we need to acknowledge that our perspective on the situation is not altogether dispassionate.
Certainly the intellectual class is affected, with good reason, because of slavery and colonialism, by a traditional suspicion of the purity of white, capitalist intentions. There is also an anti-establishment, anti-power mentality, which contributes to lawlessness and is endemic at every level of the Jamaican psyche. We tend to take an immediate dislike to those who have power over us. Undoubtedly this unconscious factor is colouring our attitude towards the mighty US.
There is a socialist hangover among some of us. This often translates unwittingly into anti-US sentiments. There are also economic considerations, such as US dominance of the global marketplace and its use of its power for economic wealth. And let us call a spade a spade as well, war could send our unstable local economy into a tailspin from which we are not likely to recover in the short term.
So then when we are honest, we find that our own prejudices and fears are affecting the way we view this crisis. And when we are honest, the truth is, not too many of us would choose Iraq over the US as an ally, as a vacation spot, and certainly not as a place to live.
To this regard, I can appreciate the economic fears we have and the concerns about the potential massacre of innocent Iraqis, but I loathe the intellectual dishonesty and the pretences at some kind of absolute moral neutrality. This same game is also played by those who feign political impartiality in a misguided quest for journalistic mileage.
Suppose the shoe was on the other foot and Iraq was the superpower? Judging from Saddam Hussein's treatment of Iran, Kuwait and the Kurds, would we even have scope for debate and dissent?
Would I still have the freedom to practise my Christian faith? (And my viewpoint is certainly influenced by my reading of the historical interaction between Muslims and Christians). What if the US had not spearheaded the intervention and the monitoring of Iraq?
Kuwait would have been occupied and annexed, the Kurds would have been annihilated, possibly Iran and Saudi Arabia would have been overrun, and Saddam would probably have launched a chemical attack on Israel by now. We might have good reasons to doubt the goodwill of US foreign policy and our consternation about war is certainly not unfounded, but in the final analysis, I am democratic, I am Christian, and I concur for the most part with the Western way of life.
I support equal opportunity for women, the freedom of expression, the freedom of choice, the freedom of religion , and the equality of all peoples. Consequently, regardless of how I feel about President Bush, I cannot, even for a fleeting moment, give the impression that I am siding with Saddam Hussein.
There are no two ways about it, he is a threat to my preferred way of life.
Now that the cards are on the table, let us now decide with candour if he is a threat we can trust to live with or he is a threat that should be removed.
If we decide we can trust him then by all means let us protest the war. If it is the consensus that we cannot trust him, then we have the moral obligation to push for his removal. But for heaven's sake, let us stop the intellectual hypocrisy.
I am, etc.,
STANLEY REDWOOD
stanley_redwood@yahoo.com
Middle Quarters, St. Elizabeth
Via Go-Jamaica
