THIS WAR WILL BE THE STARTING POINT OF "CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS"

Submitted by Louis Wetzler von Plankenstern zu Kirchheim PhD (Colombia), Apr 8, 2003 at 15:44

I am astonished with your article, when thousands of citizens of Iraq were victims of the coalition's "Collateral damages", even more, American troops killed accidentally American and British soldiers.

Today they killed in the Palestine Hotel two journalists, yesterday another, at least 10 independent press were killed by American troops or planes. This is not a war, it is a chaotic mess. History will judge the US' actions in the Middle East in a very harsh way. I share totally the opinions of Pope John Paul II in this regard.

Saddam is indeed a brutal dictator and a criminal, like Robin Cook said in his speech to the British Parliament on March 18. But the-then U.S. Administration and Margaret Thatcher's Government in Britain sustained him in the 80s. They supplied to his tyrannical regime -as Mr. Cook said- with the elements that help him to attack Iranian forces during their war with chemical and biological weapons, that were used against the Kurds and Shiites so many times. You are deluding yourselves with all this quasi patriotic propaganda in the best style of an authoritarian regime, as I told you before, quoting Senator Johnson in 1917, the first casualty of any war is truth. There is no any kind of justification for the destruction of all the international bodies, built up to preserve International Law, and Order. You had wiped out the balance of power system that was made possible in the later days of World War II, thanks to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Spencer Churchill and other extraordinary statesmen of that time. Your government is driving you and all us to a catastrophe with out any paragon in recent times.

The Kennedy Administration invaded Vietnam after the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem by the militars and the CIA, how do you not remember the lessons of that tragedy where more than 60 thousands Americans perished, along side with millions of Vietnamese people. I had been in the Vietnam Memorial many times in DC, and I was convinced that the United States of America would not ever start a war with out the necessary international consensus, nor the support of the population of the country that your military forces are invading now.

I share totally, Mr. Robin Cook's views about the illegitimacy of this pre-emptive war, that are shared by almost all the men of Law in the whole world.

If you wanted to get rid of Saddam, why you didn't have the courage of those Germans officers who tried to kill the tyrant on July 20, 1944. Among those were Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, Helmut James von Moltke, Peter Yorck von Wartenburg, Fritz von der Schulenburg, Karl Goerdeler, Marshals von Witzleben and Rommel and hundreds of others. All these Germans gave their lives for their country and for those moral principles that were destroyed during Hitler’s tyranny.

Saint Thomas in his "Summa Theologica" said that was not a crime to kill a tyrant. You were able to send Special Forces to fulfill this mission, before any war, with out attacking innocent civilian Iraqis. This war will end in a butchery, when the Battle for Baghdad will be finished, all those victims including your own soldiers will be in your conscious until God will call you for His final Judgement.

Again, I do agree with Robin Cook in everything that he said to the Parliament and to his Prime Minister. What I take it for granted that the most narrow mind people in the U.S. were in charge of conducting this war against International Law. You are giving a wonderful precedent to the Chinese, Russians, and many others to start invasions wherever they want. Sooner or later Mr. Vladimir Putin will invade Georgia and Kazakstan with the pretext that they are supporting the Chechens' guerrillas.

You will be blamed by History of the Destruction of F.D.R. and Churchill's masterpiece of art in international politics and most important legacy, the United Nations. By the way, who made wonderful business with Saddam Hussein and his clique during the 12 years of embargo? The answer is American Oil Companies and some European companies. Thanks to the latter they lived wonderfully when their people were starving and running out of basic medicines.

I hope that Mr. Rumsfeld and his friends from a "New American Century" will be as tough with Mr. Sharon and the Israelis who never complyied with Resolution 242, ordering them the withdrawal from the territories occupied by their army.

Last. but not least, Dr. Pipes, with all due respect, I am deeply touched by your blindness, and the autistic behavior of many American leaders as well. The only way to solve this disaster, is let the UN reconstruct Iraq with out any American officer in charge, and do not send Iraqis who were working close to Rumsfeld, because this will be see as a puppet regime by the international community. Unilateralism will push the whole world towards abyss. Do not delude yourself and your readers with such kind of thesis with out any legal basis.

You are still been involved in Afghanistan in an extremely dangerous situation. Where are Ossama bin Laden, and Omar?, both vanished, and nobody was able to find them. I do agree with President Mubarak that this war will spread terrorism throughout the world. The arrogance of your Department of Defense, the lack of knowledge of other cultures and civilizations are amazing.

Thanks to people like Mr. Rumsfeld, Huntington's Clash of Civilizations may become truth, even though his simplistic approach to what a civilization means sounds umbelievable. Moreover, If you take into account that he is a well known academician, what is left for the average American?. Last but not least, we are hopeless, unless Tony Blair will open his eyes, and see for himself where Mr. Bush is pushing us. May be Britain will make the difference very soon.

Yours indeed
Louis Wetzler von Plankenstern PhD International Law

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