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*Protesting Goodman’s views
In his article “Protesting the protesters” [The Maine Campus, March 21] Paul Goodman seems to take great care in painting those acting out against the Iraq war as purveyors of cliches and inaccurate beliefs, but it seems to me that Goodman himself suffers from these maladies.
The reality of the situation is everything is not going as well as Goodman would have us believe. His statements about Iraq follow closely to the line that the current administration adheres to, but one election does not make a stable democracy. The results of that election have led to a renewal of factional conflict between the Kurds, Shia and underrepresented rejectionist Sunnis.
They are indeed supposed to meet soon to begin crafting an Iraqi constitution, but given the fact they have not been able to agree on the composition of a government, this process may be in peril. And simply because an election occurred does not eliminate the fact that there is a large and energetic insurgency, guided by a mix of foreign and domestic elements, that is intent on destroying the process. Goodman’s comments about other areas of the Middle East are equally misguided and underinformed. The assertion that Afghanistan is becoming a “stable, democratic nation” is laughable when taking into consideration that Hamid Karzai’s power does not extend beyond Kabul, that Taliban and Al Qaeda elements are reconstituting along the Afghan-Pakistan border and that poppy production and increasing warlordism and banditry are rampant in the countryside.
As for Iran, I would direct Goodman to read Seymour Hersh’s article “The Coming Wars,” which catalogues just how likely it is that the United States will be militarily involved in Iran sooner or later. Hersh is widely considered an incredibly accurate reporter, and it is altogether likely that the current U.S. diplomatic ministrations are nothing but a preamble to an inevitable conflict. There are other things which I could point out, but space does not permit.
The Middle East may not devolve into bloody chaos, but it is certain that our actions in the region have not improved the situation much at all.
Nick Laverty
Senior Political Science Major
