Re: a contrast of cultures, a contrast of men

From: Phil Graham (phil.graham@mailbox.uq.edu.au)
Date: Sat Sep 15 2001 - 09:10:02 PDT


At 09:13 AM 15/09/2001 -0600, DCH wrote:
>phillip capper has suggested that ending world poverty and oppression can
>have an impact on terrorism, but in countries and states where their very
>existence is premised on violence, such as Palestine or Israel, it is hard
>to imagine how or where interventions might make a difference.

How about outlawing arms trade? It constitutes one third of global trade in
"stuff" (as opposed to forms of money, which constitutes 99.9% of global
trade and is responsible for enormous poverty). How about stopping state
sponsorship of despots? This has been "allied" foreign policy since the
1950s. It is directly responsible for what has happened. How about stopping
the debt regime. NOW. The answers are fairly straightforward, even though
the effects would be slow to come about. How about openness and
accountability for intelligence activities.

Bin Laden and Pakistan and the Taliban and Suharto and Pinochet and Pol Pot
and that pock-faced general whose name escapes me (from Panama) and the
Contras and myriad others are/were products of active foreign policies of
destabilisation. These are well-documented. How about charging the likes of
Kissinger with crimes against humanity?

I don't think it's that difficult or complex.

Phil



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