posted December 07, 2005 11:25 AM            

My thoughts:

posted December 07, 2005 05:56 PM              

quote:

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• we need to strengthen our ties to democratic allies and to challenge regimes hostile to our interests and values;

• we need to promote the cause of political and economic freedom abroad;

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It just seems to me to be something of a contradiction in terms; how can a country "promote the cause for political and economic freedom abroad" ('freedom' being the operative word here) if they are resolved to "challenge regimes hostile to our interests and values" ? I fear it has distinct echoes of a little idea that Hitler had about herding everyone under the Arien races wing, and making us all fit their criteria. If you didn't fit, you were 'ethnically cleansed' or gotten rid of by some means or another.

quote:

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We aim to make the case and rally support for American global leadership

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Pardon me but did anyone ask for that? I can think of nothing worse than being globally lead by any one country alone!

The Romans, the Vikings, the Saxons, the Normans, the entire 3rd Reich and virtually every Prime Minister we've ever had have had something of a problem making Britain's conform to their will so I rather think that we're probably best left out of that little plan The British Empire crashed and burned even though it managed to introduce a few positive things such as better educational opportunities and health care to some of the countries it claimed as it's own, not to mention the concept of democracy itself. We've reaped a great deal of karma however from that arrogant 'global muscle flexing' exercise, so perhaps Mr Bush's administration should take note and learn from our past mistakes? But there's no telling some people I suppose, and seeing as the likes of Dick Cheney helped to keep Saddam Hussein in place as a dictator (http://www.truthout.org/docs_01/02.01E.Cheney.Hussein.htm) because of the millions Halliburton was making out of oil deals with him, it's unlikely that they'll stop bull-dozing along their road to destruction anytime soon.

The Iraqi people have had democracy 'thrust' upon them (very different to choosing it) and consequently they don't quite understand what to do with it.

During a recent documentary, it emerged that each different group ie Shiite, Sunni etc has been 'told' who to vote for by their local clerics. Did we expect anything else in all honesty? Until Britain put religion on the 'back-burner' so to speak rather than using it as a political tool with which to run the country, our history was full to the brim with violence, injustice, insurgency, martyrdom and upheaval because of clashing religious beliefs and idealism. I fear it will always be so. Religion (or spirituality) is a very private, very personal thing, which is why it causes such problems when it's 'forced' upon someone else.

To return to the New American Century's statement of principles, it brings up the age old 'when does democracy become fascism?' question - surely it occurs when it's forced upon you because someone else thinks they know what's best for you. Just my humble opinion.

posted December 13, 2005 01:44 AM            

In other words, an organization that promotes FASCISM!

Amongst this organization are the members:

Richard Armitage, William J. Bennett, Jeb Bush, Ellen Bork (the wife of Robert Bork), Dick Cheney, Zalmay Khalilzad, Lewis Libby, Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz.

...and also:

Gary Bauer, former presidential candidate, president of American Values
William J. Bennett, former Secretary of Education and Drug Czar, co-founder of Empower America, author of the Book of Virtues
Ellen Bork, deputy director of PNAC, and wife of failed Reagan Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork
Rudy Boschwitz
Jeb Bush, governor of Florida
Eliot A. Cohen, professor of strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University
Thomas Donnelly, director of communications, Lockheed Martin
Steve Forbes, multi-billionaire publisher of Forbes Magazine, former presidential candidate
Aaron Friedberg, director of the Center of International Studies
Frank Gaffney, columnist, founder of Center for Security Policy
Reuel Marc Gerecht, director of the Middle East Initiative
Fred Ikle, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Donald Kagan, Yale University professor, conservative columnist with various State Department ties
Jeane Kirkpatrick, former U.S. ambassador
Charles Krauthammer
William Kristol, a PNAC founder and chairman, editor of the Weekly Standard
Christopher Maletz
Daniel McKivergan
Richard Perle, a PNAC founder, formerly of the Defense Policy Board
Norman Podhoretz, Hudson Institute
Dan Quayle, former vice-president
Stephen Rosen, Beton Michael Kaneb Professor of National Security and Military Affairs, Harvard University
Henry Rowen, former president of Rand Corporation
Gary Schmitt
Vin Weber, former congressman, lobbyist, vice-chairman of Empower America
George Weigel, political commentator
R. James Woolsey, former director of the CIA for Bill Clinton, vice-president at Booz Allen & Hamilton

Yep, you got it, they are not to be liked!