PRE-CLASS NOTEs 8. HUMAN RIGHTS IN A NEW ERA : Wars for Peace 1 May 2009
The Theme is Responsibility to Protect R2P . Are nations responsible to prevent genocide or environmental damage by another?
Highlighted as of interest in the text book.
Myanmar flood relief. Rwanda genocide, Kosovo. Saddam atrocities; Also : Cambodia, Nicaragua, LIberia, Nigeria, Kenya.
My thoughts .
Wars, under any name, are uncertain in outcome. Everybody expects to be home by Christmas. As with any uncontrollable
circumstance, things can go wrong. In case of war, a lot of people get killed/wounded/ or lose theire tranquility when mistakes are made.
A lot of people also get killed/wounded/ or lose their tranquility when things go relatively right. It is virtually a no-win situation.
War is to be avoided when possible. About the only time
that a war is clear-cut is when an enemy marches into your country -- Pearl Harbor, 9/11. However, even then the intent and expected outlook might be
for one's own good -- but how does one know ? We tried to save the people of South Vietnam from communism, but we were armed on their soil and many jointed an underground. Were they wrong ? Bin Ladan is trying to save us with Islam.
The idea of regional powers taking action on a vicious neighbor has some merit. Particularly when the US role is : if approving, then
provide logistics, arms, and high-tech aid (air power, etc.) -- and not ground troops.
But, how would we feel if a collection of regional American powers (Venezuela, Cuba, Peru, etc.) offered aid to the under-appreciated Hispanic
enclaves of Texas, California, and Iowa in the US who only wanted their lands back -- reconquest.
Recent world history : Tribes moved to work in the once desolate south of Africa and soon outnumbered and overpowered the people who had converted that desert into a prosperous country.
Popular opinion thinks Africa is black, but the south was empty when the Boor farmers (white, Dutch) settled there.
Now that the Great American desert is prosperous -- it is ripe for a barbarian invasion to take over it's riches under various pretexts. The idea
that America is for a Hispanic-Indian-Black axis is near the top of the list of popular appeal. Once the liberals lose the US, then Canada is easy and the Americas return to their rightful owners.
The book points out a desirability for pre-emptive actions against likely bad guys -- go back and assassinate Hitler before 1939. Should we assinate Hugo Chavez in 2009 ? Or, Ahadi-Nejad ?
But, who can say that FDR or Abe Lincoln1 were not just as bad for "their" people ? Where does one stop ?
Eugenics suggest that all liberals should be exterminated in favor of responsible economics, but that would remove an interesting portion of this class. No. Wars are bad. Plus, liberals are more ruthless in their righteous prosecution of their enemies than symbolic Libertarians2 -- therefore banning assassination is a matter of self interest.
1 . What was the human cost of the American Civil War ? Total Casualties, north and south : 5.93% of males.
In today's terms : 2000 Census == 8,344,162 casualties. Pop. increase 5.6% since, now 8,8111,000. Plus the future productivity of the lives lost.
Economic loss : Assume 2-1/2 years service x 3.2 million men = 8 million man-years alone.
Essay question : contrast Lincoln and Gorbachev with respect for life.
2 . Those seeking to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace by striving to achieve greater involvement of the intelligent, lay public in questions of public policy and the proper role of government.
Other. FDR extended the Great Depression by five years. Germany had full employment by 1937. Works
Progress Administration was not desolved until 1942.
One in eight Americans was a slave. One white man was killed or wounded for each 2.1 slaves freed.
Death to wounded ratio in Civil War : People died. 1.3 died for each wounded. Today the ratio is 0.13 die for
each wounded.
Class Participation :
The movie was entirely different from the text and was about Human Rights violations round the world, rather than Responsibility to Protect and that subject never was discussed. Add to list : Dufar, Bosnia, Woman's rights in Muslim countries. Session spent much time discussing : What Does Human Right means to Me?
Responce was the usual list of American "freedom from"s. Added Freedom from War. The original UN proposal evidently included
freedom from envornomental damage. By extension this would include Global warming, about as sensible as
Freedom from Winter.
The group decided to continue with discussions on related topics, tentively to meet every two weeks with first session May 15 at MCC to see if facilities are available without charge, meanwhile gathering info on other locations.
URL: http://www.manorweb.com/creative/2009/8rights.html
Ref : http://www.manorweb.com/blog/blog06.html#abe