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| Because it
will give a clear message to despots who support anti-western terrorism that
this will reduce, not increase, their chances of staying in power. | It will set a precedent for invading other countries,
making it will be harder to criticize (or deter) other invaders in the
future. |
Which is a more important precedent to set? Fundamental human rights abuses are
abuses regardless of whether they are ordered from across a political boundary
or not. | It will give
a clear message to the fundamentalist Islamic world about attacking Western
nations. | It will increase Islamic hatred of
Australia, already apparently at an all-time high, and make us a
target. |
Don't assume we are dealing with civilized people. All these people understand
is power and force. Clearly the West has the upper hand here because Islam governance
makes nations weak (yet another reason they hate the West). Fanatics
cannot be reasoned with or placated - only cowered. | Because it
will kill lots of Arabs. Don't laugh - for many people this is a plus, and this
is just a list of the arguments, and in a democracy this has to be
considered. | Because it will kill lots
of people (including Arabs). |
How many people will die is hard to tell - it depends on how long it takes
for Saddam's regime to fold. However it might be sensible to recall the
doomsayer's estimates of 'millions of deaths' before the '91 war before
being fooled again. Bear in mind that Iraqis are suffering and dying now
because of Saddam's abuses and because of Western sanctions. | It will
restore sovereignty of
Iraq to the Iraqi people. Iraq could become the first Arabic democracy in the Middle East. Iraq was
quite a civilized country right into the '70s, and has the potential to be as
good a democracy as Turkey. | It will be
perceived by many as taking sovereignty away from Iraq - particularly with the
Islamic mindset which regards democracy as evil. |
A successful, democratic and 'moderate' Iraq will both damage and discredit
the fundamentalist Islamic mindset. If the US is in and then out within 18
months, there will quite clearly be a long term benefit. | Because the
US are going in, and strengthening the alliance is a good thing. Particularly if
there is going to be a future war with Islam. | Because we should be seen as making our own decisions and not
blindly following the US. |
The feel good factor from pseudo-patriots running around saying 'look at us,
we are independent' is about as sensible as the red-necks regarding
Arab deaths as a plus. It's irrational and short-sighted. | It will bring
down the price of oil. | It will cost
money. |
Which of these is greater is anyone's guess. | We can send
all the Iraqi asylum
seekers who came here illegally (and were given Temporary Protection Visas)
home. | The war, like all wars, will generate
more refugees. |
In fact, what generates refugees is despotism. The point of this war is to remove it. | It will install a
democracy in the heart of the Middle East, and the push for democracy may
spread to other Middle Eastern states. | It will cause
regional instability. |
Revolution is a good
thing if it results in long-term democracy. | It will
enable the sanctions against Iraq to be lifted, and the suffering which this
causes can end. | The sanctions could be lifted
anyway. |
The problem with lifting sanctions is that much of the Iraqi economic
surplus will be used for weapons building. Regime change will solve both problems. | Because it
will lower the chances of WMDs falling
into the hands of Islamic terrorists. | If
there are WMDs they will be used in the war. |
If they are used in the war, they will (probably) be used in Iraq against
soldiers who are equipped to combat it. Surely this is a preferable location
to an Australian city?
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