If you liked Christopher Hitchens’ letter of resignation from The Nation, you’ll love John Lloyd’s farewell to The New Statesman:
France and Germany, the two leading anti-war states in Europe, baulked at acting against murderous tyrannies or collapsed states throughout the 1990s – in Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, as well as Iraq. Where action to overthrow dictatorial regimes has been taken in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and now Iraq, it has been taken either with US prompting, or with the US military in the lead. In the first three cases, the result was a lifting of tyranny and the chance of a better life for the peoples of those countries.
European states are far more active and efficient in providing development assistance and peacekeeping forces than is the US. But there are times when peace must be made before it can be kept; and Europe as a whole has seen such moments as none of its business, relying on the US, and then usually blaming it for carrying the can.
It’s really sad, and I mean that, that the Left has marginalized itself as badly as it has. With so many things going on in America that put civil liberties in jeopardy, we need a zealous and credible watchdog that can hold the Administration’s feet to fire, but the Left is more interested in having “Not in my name” rallies than in doing their job. Like I said, it’s sad.
Great post, Richard. We agree (here).
The Bush administration is trying to make the left out to be a bunch of anti-war dopers. (Reading from Nixon’s play book?)
There by strengthening the war on drugs.
BTW I’m on the right and truly miss the support of a pro American left. This war has split every movement where the right and the left saw their interests coincide.
Such a shame.
In different terms, you have said what I (a conservative-leaning Libertarian) was trying to say recently:
a one-party system simply begs for tyranny. I don’t miss the ‘support’ of the Left, but I certainly miss the criticism of a Loyal Opposition. No party, not even the Libertarian, is immune from dingbat ideas. YOUR obervers must be there at times to point out that OUR Emperor has no clothes– but, as you seem to be saying, your observer is presently engrossed in his own belly-button.
And, speaking of naked emperors: while the Libertarian theory, if applied, could set much to rights in our country, the Libertarian practice (judging from a few letters written by soi-disant Libertarians) sometimes seeks nothing beyond a federal subsidy for marijuana-growers. There is LOTS of room on our back benches for anyone willing to think. It might help crowd out the deadwood.