THE EDITOR, Sir:
IT DOES not matter if the US forces win, lose or draw in Iraq, what matters is the difference between wrong and right. The fact still remains that the US invasion of Iraq was wrong. People seem to be interpreting the US victory in overpowering and beating an inferior force as proof of being right.
No one was ever in doubt about America's military supremacy and victory, what we feared was the idea that one country would take it upon itself to invade another country regardless of international law and we feared the possible effect of such actions. We feared a conflict that had the strong possibility of dragging other countries into a war; we feared that this invasion would lead to a more serious global conflict. We feared that the concept of a pre-emptive strike will spread as more and more countries will use this method to settle differences without using diplomacy.
The United States of America is the world's only superpower and with great power comes great responsibilities. At a time when the world was trying to figure out if America could be trusted with such power, it had brushed aside international rule of law as irrelevant and not in favour of US policies and acted on its own to invade a sovereign state. The message that the USA is sending to the world is quite clear, we are the superpower, we will use that power how and when we see fit, no one and nothing will stand in our way, we are the law!
MANY SUPER POWERS
Throughout the history of the world we have had many super powers and they were not afraid to flex their muscles to dictate to other countries. The United States of America must decide whether it will continue on the old world order in which might makes right or move to a new world order in which the world body sets and enforces international law, where war, violence and exclusion is replaced by diplomacy and inclusion.
American arrogance is at an all time high, you can see it and you can feel it just by talking to the people. They feel and know that they are the world's most powerful country and they can bring that might down on anyone, anywhere and at anytime. American nationalism is also at an all time high not unlike Germany in 1938, you just have to listen to the way they talk about the rest of the world as if they were unruly children to be spanked and send to bed with out any supper, America knows best, America is the greatest; the American way is the only way, with us or against us and they are very shocked when the rest of the world resists their attempts at domination.
They look at the world as ungrateful, how dare they, after all we have done for them, we feed the world, we protect them, we give and give and ask nothing in return. This is the way the American population thinks, the American mind-set is made up of both ignorance and arrogance that, combined with military superiority is a lethal combination.
The US will write its history on Iraq, It will write how America liberated the people of Iraq from bondage and suffering, while not demanding anything in return. It will write how it has brought democracy to its people and deliver freedom and liberty for all, this it will write, while installing puppet regimes that will sell Iraqi oil to US interests and convert the people of Iraq into consumers of American products, while giving them a perception of independence.
I am etc.,
ANDRE A. STEWART
wumpscut@jamaicans.com
New York City
Via Go-Jamaica
