[MD] Hippies

[ian glendinning]

Ant, Platt,

Ant, good points. I take this generally as meaning that we have to
deal with the reality of here and now, (and the history of how it came
to be this way) not some politically convenient simplified picture of
what's right and wrong, ignoring politically inconvenient aspects to
any of the parties involved. We need to avoid hypocrisy and address
the whole complex mess.

Platt asked ...
"If diplomacy and sanctions fail, would you object to military action ?"

Ian replies. No of course I wouldn't object. But that presupposes a
serious attempt at diplomacy in the time available, addressing the
whole problem, without hypocrisy.

The whole problem ?
Iran (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc)
"The middle east problem"
Israel
Security of oil & gas supplies
Terrorism / security against threats of all kinds
Fundamentalism and "freer" political expression
Global consumerism / demands for energy & raw materials
Nuclear power and WMD's
China
The environment & poverty ... you name it ...

Tough agenda. Let's not shirk from it.
Ian