Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that's more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think the price is worth it.
Honestly, I think there is a major difference in the attitudes of Pakistanis on one side and Americans and Indians on the other.
On the US/Indian side, the media and vocal opinion is largely supportive of 'collateral damage' such as that inflicted in Iraq or Kashmir in the interest of the 'long term goal'. Indians on this forum often say that what happens in Kashmir, occupation against the will of the people, violation of prior commitments and agreements, atrocities - all these means are justified in order to retain control of Kashmir as part of India, because 'its the desire of a billion plus people'.
Many Americans, though not a majority by any means, continue to argue that all the violence and boodshed in Iraq was worth it, and even in the media the discussion about Bush's legacy has already been framed in terms of whether Iraq will be a stable country down the road.
'Down the road'? So if Iraq is a model democracy in 20 or 50 years we have cause to celebrate Bush's actions? Could an alternate means of action not have accomplished similar goals without the bloodshed and rise in extremism?
In this 'legacy writing' is an attempt IMO to rewrite this flawed chapter in American history in some sort of positive terms, to try and assuage the American psyche that all is well and even patently wrong actions canbe justified in some way.
In Pakistan however, perhaps because of what happened in East Pakistan, our media and civil society are bleeding heart liberals when it comes to cracking down on the Baluch militants, or for that matter the Taliban.
We must talk to them, we must negotiate, they are our Muslim brothers, we have wronged them through too little development blah blah blah.
Imagine if a Pakistani leader said that half a million Pakhtun Tribesmen killed, albeit a 'hard choice', was justified in the pursuit of stability.
We are moving towards justifying genocide with this rationale IMO.