Hi David,
I heard in the news (in Hong Kong) this morning that the US
"re-construction" of Iraq will lead to huge building and construction
contracts with major US construction companies, thus contributing to and
stimulating the US domestic economy. In fact, some US construction
companies have already put forward tenders for "re-construction" projects
in Irag. It's a war motivated by economic interests, so the war economists
pointed out; the gain in economic returns for the US will outweigh the
expenses, so they say in the news here. (I expect there will be different
kinds of media coverage in different continents now, filtered through
different angles).
Is there any possibility of the development of a trans-cultural, global
ethics, even when global (and very often US) economics dominate many
people's lives across the world--questions for us to struggle with both
theoretically and politically.
Angel
At 12:50 AM 3/19/2003 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi Derrel.
>Tony Blair is a good man. He seems to be motivated by principle, in
>contrast
>with George W. Bush who is merely opportunistic. Likely some good will come
>from the removal of Saddam from power over Iraq. But don't be misled into
>thinking that this good is the motivation for this campaign. Restoring Iraq
>is an after-thought--an unanticipated cost that Bush finds himself needing
>to pay in the absence of other forms of legitimation. On balance, it's hard
>to take much solace in these peripheral positive accompaniements of the
>destruction of a cooperative world order.
>David Kirshner
>
>___________________________________________
> To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> cc:
> bcc: David H Kirshner/dkirsh/LSU
> Subject: Re: An Open Letter to George W. Bush
>Derrel Fincher <Derrel@Fincher.com>
>
>03/19/2003 11:44 AM ZE9
>Please respond to xmca <font size=-1></font>
>
>
>The excerpt below is from Tony Blair's speech
>(http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page3295.asp).
>
>Derrel
>
> >I recall a few weeks ago talking to an Iraqi exile and saying to her that
> >I understood how grim it must be under the lash of Saddam.
> >
> >"But you don't", she replied. "You cannot. You do not know what it is like
> >to live in perpetual fear." And she is right. We take our freedom for
> >granted. But imagine not to be able to speak or discuss or debate or even
> >question the society you live in. To see friends and family taken away and
> >never daring to complain. To suffer the humility of failing courage in
> >face of pitiless terror. That is how the Iraqi people live. Leave Saddam
> >in place and that is how they will continue to live.
> >
> >We must face the consequences of the actions we advocate. For me, that
> >means all the dangers of war. But for others, opposed to this course, it
> >means - let us be clear - that the Iraqi people, whose only true hope of
> >liberation lies in the removal of Saddam, for them, the darkness will
> >close back over them again; and he will be free to take his revenge upon
> >those he must know wish him gone.
***************************************************************
Angel Lin, Ph.D.(Ontario Institute for Studies in Education,
University of Toronto)
Associate Professor, Department of English and Communication
City University of Hong Kong
Tat Chee Ave., Kowloon, Hong Kong
Fax: (852) 2788-8894; phone: (852) 2788-8122
E-mail: enangel@cityu.edu.hk
http://www.cityu.edu.hk/en/staff/angel/angel.html
http://www.tesl-hk.org
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