The recent disasters in China and Myanmar prompt me to make the following observations.
It is interesting that China willingly and openly welcomed aid from other countries following the earthquake that devastated their countryside, knowing full well that bringing in people from outside also brings in new ideas. And new ideas are, ultimately, what will cause the overthrow of any tyranny. Which is why the military dictatorship currently in power in Myanmar doesn’t want any outside assistance.
But one of the reasons given for our invasion of Iraq was so that we could help democracy begin and grow in the Middle East. It may not have been high on the list but it was always given in support of the other reasons.
Why is it then that we have done nothing against the military regime in power in Myanmar? That regime is clearly as repressive as was Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, perhaps even more so. The generals in Myanmar are clearly only interested in preserving their power and doing so at the expense of the people.
I would not be surprised if we were to compare the list of crimes committed against the people of Iraq by Saddam Hussein with a list of crimes against the people of Myanmar by their present government and find them eerily similar. But our actions are nowhere similar; why is that?
In creating reasons for invading Iraq, we created a mythological “axis of evil” in order to justify our actions. If we are truly against the evil that is present in this world, why are we not actively and openly working to overthrow the military dictatorship of Myanmar?
As we approach Memorial Day, 2008, let us remember what it is meant to represent. It is not, as many people think, a three-day weekend created for the sole reason of celebrating the start of summer. It is meant to be a time to remember those who have died in the cause of freedom and in response to the threat of freedom.
Those who have read my blog know that I am opposed to war, especially as a solution to the problems of society and the world. Wars in the past have been fought for many reasons and this country has gone to war on more than one occasion because freedom was threatened. This weekend is to be a time of remembrance for the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for that reason.
But until recently we have never sent troops in harm’s way before our freedom was threatened and the reasons that have been given only serve to dilute the cost that so many of our military have paid with their lives and wounds (link to current combat casualties and wounded).
And what the tragedy of Myanmar shows is that our reasons for invading and “liberating” Iraq were shallow, self-centered, and misleading. If we are going to say that we will respond to any perceived or actual threat to our freedom, what shall we do when the freedom of others is threaten or taken away?
Something to think about-
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Cross-posted to RedBlueChristian.com
Thoughts From The Heart On The Left 
Hey, Doc, you said: ‘Why is it then that we have done nothing against the military regime in power in Myanmar? ……..In creating reasons for invading Iraq, we created a mythological “axis of evil” in order to justify our actions. If we are truly against the evil that is present in this world, why are we not actively and openly working to overthrow the military dictatorship of Myanmar?’
Wanna know why? Because Myanmar doesn’t have anything we want. Myanmar, Darfur, Indonesia… who cares? They aren’t sitting on huge oil reserves. We’re an imperialist nation – we’ll invade you under the banner of “freedom and liberation” and all that Orwellian “primitive patriotism”, as long as you’ve got something we want. Dole Pineapple? Chiquita Bananas? Crude oil? An altruistic society we are not, but we’ll still send a few bags of rice to Myanmar just to show the world how magnanimous we are.
Here’s an easy rule of thumb for you. Conservatives will send the military only where there is a clear American interest (e.g., Kuwait, Iraq). Liberals will send the military only where there is clearly no American interest (e.g., Somalia, Bosnia).
If McCain is elected, expect conflict with Iran or N Korea. If Obama is elected, expect conflict with Myanmar or someone equally distasteful but powerless (by our standards).
Great comment, minderased! Orwell had it right. However, I can’t take a Manichean view of the world and believe it’s divided into the good, us, and the bad, all those politicians. Bush did that with his “Axis of Evil”. The world is not black and white but far more complicated, yes, nuanced. And every human is flawed. A vote for McCain is not equivalent to a vote for Obama in my view. Ralph Nader carried enough states in 2000 to allow Bush to be elected. The way to solve the Myanmar problem is not to start a war with them but to apply diplomatic pressures, like getting China to side with us, other nations. Use imagination, not war. I believe Obama would work this way. Of course, I could be wrong.