Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(April 2004)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
Worldwide protests against the American led war
in Iraq:
On this the first anniversary of the commencement of the
American coalition war against Iraq, thousands of people
worldwide participated in demonstrations against the American
occupation. Anti-war activists in large numbers staged
peaceful demonstrations against the war, calling for the
removal of American troops from Iraq, at rallies held
in many major cities worldwide.
Widespread demonstrations occurred in countries such as
the UK, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, and other European
nations, also in the Middle East countries of Lebanon,
Syria, and Far East countries such as Japan, Australia,
the Philippines, and believe it or not in several cities
within the United States - so you can see the dissention
is worldwide.
Ten thousand anti-war protesters in New York, (plus anti-war
rallies in another 250 American cities) - but one of the
largest rallies by far, was the protest in Rome where
over 250,000 people demanded that the Italian government
bring the Italian troops home from Iraq.
I’m sure that the American Administration, (and
many of the American people), would certainly welcome
any situation were America could come out of this mess
with a sense of honour - but in all reality, much as I
personally would like to see the young American soldiers
taken out of harms way and brought back home, I wonder
if the people calling for the withdrawal of American troops
have considered what would happen to law and order in
Iraq if the American presence suddenly disappeared overnight
from the area of conflict. In my opinion, a current suggestion
by the United Nations to replace American troops with
United Nations Forces (possibly NATO forces), will not
work as the UN does not have the wherewithal to sustain
a peace keeping mission of such magnitude under the current
volatile situation that now exists in Iraq.
One must remember the terrible scenes we evidenced after
the war was declared to be won, (certainly not over),
and the ensuing chaos, looting, and mayhem that followed,
with the complete breakdown of law and order. Much as
I hate to say this, we therefore must carefully consider
all the pros and cons before demanding the complete withdrawal
of American Forces.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents of these
newsletters. Please send all correspondence to bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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