regime change

[nmerritt79@aol.com]

I personally have a problem with the Judeo-Christian crusade against the Muslims.  Yes, the  obvious goal of the pre-empted strikes on Iraq is to gain control of their oil, which is a very smart economical move, considering it is the second largest oil producing nation in the world.  Yet, when the states involved in the conflict are classified by religious beliefs, the outcome appears to be the new world's holy war against the Arab world. 

Additionally, the Arab states that surround Iraq do not see the invasion of Iraq in the same manner the U.S. does.  The hopes of the U.S. administration is that if it can democratize Iraq, it will in turn spread the trend to the surrounding states.  The Arab states are presently satisfied with the way their country operates. 

The Muslim world does not uphold the same values and traditions as a lot of the already democratized world.  Their governments do not need to be compatible with this system for they have different priorities within their own governments.  For instance, their economies do not support a free market system where trade is important to shaping their policies.  Their main exports are oil, and they already have a regulated market for that product.  

Also, big business and multinational companies do not spawn from their markets.  They come from the U.S., and do business abroad in their countries.  For countries like Saudi Arabia, their governments have suited their citizenry.  Democracy allows for a free market system, where anyone can have a chance at being rich, and the poor are considered failures on the status ladder.  For the Muslim states, their is not fierce competition, and obtainig masses amounts of money is not a main value.

Their monarchial system is not a dictatorship, and holds little room for corruption.  So, why should the U.S. feel the imperialistic need to spread its poiltical ideology?  

The divisions in the world can be seen as a religious conflicts.  There is the case of Israel and Palestine, where the Christian world supports the Judeo state.  The allies of Palestine gain support from the Muslim world.  Most all of the democratic world is made up of Christians and Jews.  So, the Arab states made their own coalition to protect their religious, and political interests against the almighty and imposing democratic world.  

The U.S. needs to concentrate more on domestic issues, and uphold the treaties and international laws that are already in force to protect the international economy.  The Arab world is already shaped from thousands of years of cultivation stemming from their ancient religious beliefs.  The way they behave in the international world is independent of their culture.  They can obey the international laws of trade, and keep their religion and government operating the same way it has for centuries.  



From:  Mandi Golman
          chomsky@mail.utexas.edu