Aknauta
02-27-2003, 05:13 PM
allafrica.com
Forget the Peace Rhetoric, EA Must Back Bush
The East African (Nairobi)
OPINION
February 24, 2003
Posted to the web February 25, 2003
Martin Mbugua Kimani
Nairobi
Every Hollywood movie has this scene because it works so well: a child holding a teddy bear is shown in a moment of light-hearted play with no inkling that lurking nearby is a monster/ terrorist/ vampire. It is clear that the child stands for good and that around the corner is an evil that must be opposed.
It is this desire for a dramatic clarity between good and evil that both sides in the debate on Iraq seek to invoke. In the media, the question has been framed in a seemingly simple, logical fashion: Either you are with the Americans who are for war or with France and Germany who are for peace.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. What we are seeing is a referendum on the doctrine of pre-emptive action; how to confront anti-Western states pursuing weapons that threaten a pro-Western status quo and, most importantly for Europe, how to contain US hyperpower. If East Africa is to have a meaningful voice in the debate, we need to consider these questions with our self-interest in mind.
We are in a new age and should live up to the responsibility that comes with being free (http://allafrica.com/stories/200302250421.html)
Forget the Peace Rhetoric, EA Must Back Bush
The East African (Nairobi)
OPINION
February 24, 2003
Posted to the web February 25, 2003
Martin Mbugua Kimani
Nairobi
Every Hollywood movie has this scene because it works so well: a child holding a teddy bear is shown in a moment of light-hearted play with no inkling that lurking nearby is a monster/ terrorist/ vampire. It is clear that the child stands for good and that around the corner is an evil that must be opposed.
It is this desire for a dramatic clarity between good and evil that both sides in the debate on Iraq seek to invoke. In the media, the question has been framed in a seemingly simple, logical fashion: Either you are with the Americans who are for war or with France and Germany who are for peace.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. What we are seeing is a referendum on the doctrine of pre-emptive action; how to confront anti-Western states pursuing weapons that threaten a pro-Western status quo and, most importantly for Europe, how to contain US hyperpower. If East Africa is to have a meaningful voice in the debate, we need to consider these questions with our self-interest in mind.
We are in a new age and should live up to the responsibility that comes with being free (http://allafrica.com/stories/200302250421.html)