John McCain's ‘League of Democracies’ Is a Frightening Thought

[babylonsister]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article20173.htm

John McCain's ‘League of Democracies’ Is a Frightening Thought

The world already has a peace-maintaining institution: the UN



By Robert Skidelsky

snip//

By implicitly bypassing the UN and dividing the world into two armed camps, the League of Democracies would increase the danger of war.

The world also already has a prosperity-spreading mechanism. It is called trade. It is full of faults, but these can be corrected.

The only purpose of the League of Democracies seems to be to legitimize war-making by democracies — in order to spread democracy!

This is the thrust of McCain’s message. As he put it, the US was built for a purpose — to serve “eternal and universal principles.” Its God-given task is to build an “enduring global peace on the foundations of freedom, security, prosperity and hope.”

Noble rhetoric! But if that is the league’s purpose then it is a danger to peace.

This is because its advocates believe that no long-term co-existence with non-democracies is possible. This is crazy and unhistorical.

It is up to the chastened nations of Western Europe, which broadly share US values but have learned something about political patience, to rein in the US fantasy of remaking the world in its own image.

I am all for spreading Western-style democracy, but not at the cost of making the world more warlike. Peaceful coexistence between different political systems is an attainable objective.


Robert Skidelsky, a member of the British House of Lords, is professor emeritus of political economy at Warwick University and a board member of the Moscow School of Political Studies.

[spiffydigs]

1. It's ok though

Cause we are the good guys. Relatively speaking of course.

[Hydra]

4. Yup

We used to do a better job of whitewashing our massacres, though. Sloppy work, lately.

Welcome to DU, btw. Enjoy your stay.

[whistle]

2. Republican Axis of Evil to keep the 100 years war going

[davidinalameda]

3. the UN is pretty much impotent

when you have countries like Saudi Arabia on the UN Human Rights Council, it makes a joke out of the purpose of the UN

[Hydra]

5. Very Orwellian of him

"Ministry of Peace" and "Ministry of Truth," anyone?

[iquiring mind]

6. How can the world stand idly by?

I posted the following on a new thread recently and thought it appropriate to add it here....

"We've seen it over and over again!

How can the world stand idly by when corrupt governments slaughter their own people?!?!
Cambodia
Somalia
Ethiopia
the former Yugoslavia
Rwanda
Zimbabwe
or even when they don't outright slaughter them, they allow them to die a slow miserable death, i.e.: Myanmar typhoon!

are not ALL people entitled to live in peace, safety & the pursuit of happiness?

It is a crime for a strong man to sit idly by and witness harm against a weak man, and do nothing!!!"



The majority of countries in the UN (member states) are dictatorships. Many are ruthless, murdering, oppressing governments truly slaughtering their own people. The UN is truly impotent to do anything. Sure some well dressed diplomat may stand at the podium and make a nice speech reprimanding the oppressing country but, what does a ruthless dictator care about some speech maker!?!?

My analogy:
Would you stand by and watch an old lady being mugged on the street or would you intervene to stop the assault? I understand if the assailant has a gun or if you're a lady who's 5'0", 95 lbs.; but, if the assailant is unarmed and you're 6'3", 230lbs. you should be damned for doing nothing.