as for examples of bullshit reasons to start a war (or war-like activity) frankly I think the best example would be the war on drugs, evidence doesn’t get much flimsier than that. But I know that’s not what you had in mind. Bay of Pigs comes to mind…kosovo/former yugoslavia… Indonesia’s invasion and genocide in East Timor…Imperial Japan’s invasion and genocide in China…then there’s the wars that were denied to exist, eg, Kissinger’s war on Cambodia, let alone presenting evidence to justify, not done because it was unjustifiable…Sudan and Rwanda, not necessarily inter-state warfare, but the same basic principle applies…Stalin’s intervention in Hungary and Chekoslovakia…I recall something about a dubious “pre-emptive strike” in one of the Arab-Israeli wars(?)…how about the cold war? There’s more evidence surfacing that the Red Threat was intentionally exaggerated to bolster defence budgets (including the British Polaris and Trident expenditures), much to the benefit of Raytheon et al.Originally posted by lynx@22 July 2003 - 14:10
I've already had more than 4 hours, why would I want more ?
Or is it that you need 2 hours to think of a suitable reply ?
so, you see, grasshopper, I came up with more than 6, off the top of my head, all suggesting that false reasons for war were certainly not unprecedented before the iraqi invasion. I might very well be mistaken on one or more of these, I don't profess to be an expert, but the point is, lying and war go hand in hand.
More generally speaking, using the word "unprecedented" when referring to issues of power, violence and relations between societies is not doing you any favours.
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