Europe has plenty of experience with risk and "blowback." More than the United States. (See 1914-18 and 1939-45.) Part of Sheehan's argument is that, over the past 60 years, Europe has experienced the benefits of ceding sovereignty to international organizations (NATO, the U.N., the World Court,etc., etc.) and prefers those benefits -- chiefly, a generous social-safety net -- to the constant drain of military expenditures and the gamble of victory in any specific conflict.

What the United States needs is leaders who can build on the (current, transitory) disenchantment with military solutions because of the Iraq fiasco to educate Americans that there are other ways to live in the world.

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"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected." G.K. Chesterton

Don't forget the Franco-Prussian War.

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All I said was that intellectuals are like the Mafia, they only kill their own.

Woody Allen
Stardust Memories

Are Americans colonizing in Iraq and throwing all muslim political candidates in jail to prevent them from speaking about their political views I.E the easter uprising?

Are American citizens moving into Iraqi companies, taking over ownership, and creating laws requiring all employees speak English and be christian I.E Ulster plantations?

Please don't compare the two conflicts. One was a completely overzealous empire moving their richest citizens into the richest parts of every country they colonized for their own benefit.

We gave Iraq their first ever election, not take it away I.E the British over the Irish. We are not out there starting the fights, we are usually first responders who end up getting picked off with IED's and sniper file following a bomb in a market.


Please don't compare the two conflicts.

The United States doesn't colonize that way. What we saw in Northern Ireland was a late gasp of British empire, which used occupation to extract resources, protect local allies and, not least, enrich and empower the British elite.

The United States "colonizes" by dragging countries into global economic process. If it succeeds at that, said countries will be subject to the same market forces as everyone else and will learn to become obedient to them.

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"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected." G.K. Chesterton

I'm not comparing the political situations or ethnic situations but the commitment that Britain made in Ireland and N. Ireland which lasted for more than a 100 years.

__________________

All I said was that intellectuals are like the Mafia, they only kill their own.

Woody Allen
Stardust Memories