world is too weak to deal with. Have trouble with “ethnic cleansing” in the

middle of Europe? Call Washington. If North Korea begins to act the thug,

nations in the region know that American forces are there to keep things

from getting out of hand. In other words, American power is useful if it

accords with the interests of other nations. If Washington dares to employ

its power in what it perceives to be self-defense, and by doing so raises

risks to other countries, then the U.S. is viewed as “power-drunk.”

I do hope that America’s opponents in the democratic world have no illusions

about some great change of perception taking place inside the U.S. Even

Bush’s opponents on Iraq fully support the “war” against terrorism. The

prestige of U.S. military is sky high and will stay there. The sense of

threat against the American homeland will remain for a very long time.

Another major attack within America will cause a furious reaction.

There are obvious ways to deal with this problem. If the world is genuinely

evolving toward a golden age of universal morality, I would strongly urge

nations now affiliated with America to end their security associations with

Washington. If the peoples of Belgium, or France, genuinely think the U.S.

is a threat to world peace, then NATO should be abolished. If North Korea

(or China) is no threat to Japan, then end the defense treaty with the U.S.

Or, if countries are not so sure that military power has lost all utility,

and if these same nations view America as “immature and selfish” in its

exercise of power, then perhaps these nations should create an independent

ability to project military power. The industrial world outside the U.S.

certainly has the wealth and technology to match fully the Pentagon’s

arsenal in a very short time. All that is lacking is the will. Then perhaps

other, more enlightened governments, can determine how to fit liberal values

and an increasingly expansive interpretation of international law with the

brutal reality of modern war. ”

Eric Bergerud

Hear ! Hear ! I could not have said it better.

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