The Moral Compass is Spinning
Years ago I learned (the hard way) that just because something is a good idea, it may not be a good idea for everyone.
There is not just the question of whether it was right to invade and attempt to liberate Iraq. My question is: Did we have the moral fortitude to pull it off?
The head of the British Army said there is a moral and spiritual vacuum in Britain. He says, "the decline in Christian values in Britain that has allowed Islamic extremism to flourish."
From the interview:
Our society has always been embedded in Christian values; once you have pulled the anchor up there is a danger that our society moves with the prevailing wind.
In other words, we haven't a clue why we are in Iraq, we don't know what we have to offer. We don't even have the fortitude to support our troops, let alone pay them a living wage.
Also:
There is an element of the moral compass spinning. I think it is up to society to realise that is the situation we are in.
We can’t wish the Islamist challenge to our society away and I believe that the army both in Iraq and Afghanistan and probably wherever we go next, is fighting the foreign dimension of the challenge to our accepted way of life.
We need to face up to the Islamist threat, to those who act in the name of Islam and in a perverted way try to impose Islam by force on societies that do not wish it.
It takes the breath away to hear someone at the top speaking honestly. Here is a write up of the interview with General Sir Richard Dannatt.
1 comment:
I thought this comment was excellent...
"We need to face up to the Islamist threat, to those who act in the name of Islam and in a perverted way try to impose Islam by force on societies that do not wish it. In the Cold War, the threats to this country were about armies rolling in. Threats now are not territorial but to the values of our country."
There's little doubt Bush went to Iraq for the wrong reasons, beat up an imaginary WMD charge and then set about taking down the punk that had tried to assasinate his father.
It's sad to see politics moving like that. The US had a real chance to change things in Afganistan but weakened its hand by not finishing the job and by diluting its presence and its moral position when it invaded Iraq. The consequence is the Afgans are back to their lawless ways, growing poppies by the bushel.
From a tactical point of view, the General is absolutely right. The mistake Bush made was in treating Iraq like the Cold War, trying to liberate Iraq like the oppressed East Germans. I think the world had been fighting the Cold War for so long it forgot that there are countries that actually desire to be barbaric, countries that aren't in that state by default but by the will and intention of the masses. This is even more true for Iran. Try to "liberate" Iran and Iraq will look like a Sunday School picnic by comparison.
The challenge now isn't in stopping Soviet tanks from rolling across the border, it's in stopping waves of muslims from immigating without integrating. There's nothing wrong with people from different countries and different values, different religions from migrating to a country. There is everything wrong with them refusing to integrate. I spoke to a Muslim in Australia who could barely speak a word of English after 20 years in Brisbane. It's not about forcing people to conform to Western values, its about common sense.
There's a bumper sticker over here,
"If you don't like Australian values, Bugger Off!"
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