Past Rant IX

“When Invasions Are Necessary”

I was a huge opponent to the United States invasion of Iraq. There was no reason for the U.S. Government to attack Saddam Hussein and his government. The international community tried to dissuade us from doing so, and there was even dissension within the ranks of the Bush Administration. Unfortunately good people sometimes are weak and cave because of the pressures of evil. We invaded that country and 5 years late things seem as though they have only gotten worse. There are voices saying things are better without Hussein. There are voices saying things are worse under U.S. military occupation. The jury is still out on this one, but I believe things are worse and going to get much worse unless the Iraqi government gets some balls and deals with the situation in a critical manner.

Bush and his cronies now beat the war drum at Iran. That would be a mistake of such epic proportions I can’t even put into words how dangerous it would be. The same goes for North Korea. These are countries that do not warrant an invasion. Their barks are much louder than their bites painful. They are like kids looking for attention. As long as we give them that attention they will be calm. No worries.

So, when and where is an invasion warranted? When the national government fails to provide basic human services necessary for survival. When, in the face great tragedy, as well as international outcry to aide the common people said government ignores calls for assistance, and even obscures what help it does accept. This is the case in Myanmar. The most recent case to capture the headlines. The ruling military junta has clamped down on humanitarian aide in the face tremendous disaster resulting from a cyclone that hit the country last weekend (you can read all about it here – “Rulers Keep Grip on Aid as Burmese Cast Votes”). Pressure from the international community to allow disaster aide experts is there, but for some reason military options to assist with getting the necessary aide to the populous are off the table. The United States has sent some aircraft carries to that area, but no one is really making a move against the ruling government, which has a long history of oppressing its people.

We can commit hundreds of thousands of troops to an illegal war, but when people really need our help we sit offshore and wait for the international community to give us directions. The hypocrisy is so viral it makes me nauseous. What are we waiting for, the body count to reach the 4,000 mark? That’s how many troops have died in 5 years of battle in Iraq. Maybe that is the benchmark? 4,000 officially dead in one week sounds about the right time to move in. What kind of superpower are we if we only use our might to destroy sovereign nations, cause the displacement of over 2 million people, and create the conditions for civil war? In this regard we are just like the other empires that dominated the world. We only act selfishly. Our personal national security is far more important than actually doing a morally good act.

I also see the hypocrisy in nations that claim they want to be leaders in the global village, but falter when it comes to taking morally sound actions. All these nations that claim they want Permanent U.N. Security Council status are doing what to stop this tragedy? India is the dominant power in that region and they do nothing of substance (backdoor pressure politics is bullshit in this situation). Japan does not lift a finger to help the situation. They are probably hiding behind their constitution that says they cannot engage in offensive war efforts. These countries want to be superpowers, but act otherwise. China which is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council seems to be quiet on this situation as well. Oppression fathers oppression. And we will celebrate the Olympics in this nation…How unfortunate! Russia has a sphere of influence in this area, but is taken up by the succession of leadership – Putin to Putin Prime.

Again, where is the United States? Some place where it shouldn’t be – Iraq. As we sit and witness Myanmar, as well as other tragedies like Darfur, are we not to question whether or not we are a great nation? I love the United States, as it is my home country, but the Government over the past 8 years lacks the greatness I associate with my nation of birth.

In most cases I don’t agree with military invasions, but in this case I support a sound/tactical military invasion with the goal of bringing humanitarian aide to the general population. Make the leaders of Myanmar fully aware that if they try to block humanitarian aide convoys there will be a military and diplomatic response. Whomever invades needs to make the ruling party aware they are not there to overthrow and occupy the nation. Once the situation has been addressed military units will withdraw, and full-control will go back to the leadership of Myanmar. If the people of Myanmar want something different than oppressive military control they can do what they have to do to change the current situation…but that is another discussion. For now, we cannot take “No Entry” signs seriously. We must act otherwise people really do die.