Monday, August 29, 2005
War is hell, 2
As much as anyone, I hate war. It is an enthralling subject for study and does stimulate terrific literature and art and provide a fertile context for fascinating discussions about profound topics. But it is truly horrible and should be avoided if at all possible. All that being said, the current situation in Iraq differs from the Vietnam situation in important ways. For one thing, the provocation for our involvement in southeast Asia wasn't the torture and killing of hundreds of thousands of citizens and elections were never held, nor a constitution formed, as a direct result of our intervention. It was a civil war in which we almost certainly had no business. To morph distaste for all war into equating Vietnam and Iraq is simply bad reasoning. Oppose this war, if you want, but for itself.
Labels: books, reflections
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