The Iraq War retrospective Thread

[kandrathe]

Well said. Yes, much of both our arguments are opinions. The truth may be out there, but I fear that it is too buried to be found by 'outsiders' like you and me.

I think we focus so much on the Israel issue in the Middle East. We lose the nuance of relationship, or hatreds between the various factions. Or, even the impact of the failing health of King Fahd on our relationship with the Saudis.

If we don't embrace Boy Scout ethics, then we've lost. If we descend into barbarity to protect ourselves from the barbarian, then we have become the enemy.

I watched "Apocalypse Now" about 20 times on HBO when it first was shown there when I was in college. I was struck by Kurtz's philosophy and justification for why he needed to fight the war on the same footing at those he was against. His understanding was that "the horror" of war was needed to be used to end the war. The same might be said for the battle of Thermopylae and naval battle of Salamis that it so horrified the Persians, and emboldened the Greeks leading them to victory in the battle of Plataea. I of course agree with you that we must remain civilized, but I fear that we cannot be boy scouts either. In reference to Jefferson again, and his frustration with the Barbary pirates. They only understood force as the medium of barter, and anything else was seen to be weakness. When we lose the ability to make war horrible, then I too think we have lost something. It seems to me the two sides fight by different rule books as well. So, again, there is a fine line where we don't hobble our ability to win, but still retain the dignity of humanity.