The narrative of this war is one of bullies vs. liberators. The scene is complex. No complex thing can be cast in terms of black and white. That’s what the right does so well — sees everything as good and evil, black and white. That’s why the airwaves are filled with conservative commentators. They can pound their fists and act like the world is unambiguous. The trap the left is falling into is seeing things in black and white. Don’t buy it.
The outcome of the war may be on the whole good for Iraqis and good for the world, even though it has been waged for all the wrong reasons. Even though profit is involved. It’s a classic question of whether the ends justify the means. Liberation is a good outcome even if it’s hypocritical (because lots of other peoples need liberation too) and even if it’s being used as a convenient excuse (liberation was never a reason for invasion until it was convenient).
*If such measurements can be performed — please don’t ask me how many innocent lives are worth Saddam’s deposition, because I don’t know — is 10 too many? 1,000? 1,000,000?
With all the Al-Jazeera bashing, it’s worth remembering that Iraqis think Al-Jazeera is biased toward the U.S..
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