The following correspondence originally took place upon the Facebook wall of my friend, Jonas A…
Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee
Jonas A.: Russia’s Pushkov Suggests Yanking Obama’s Nobel Prize if the US Strikes Syria:
http://dcxposed.com/2013/08/31/russias-pushkov-suggests-yanking-obamas-nobel-prize-if-the-us-strikes-syria/
Anyone that advocates war for any reason does not deserve to keep the Peace Prize…just saying…
Thomas Pa.: somebody remind him, the Russian’s don’t decide who gets the Nobel Peace Prize, they didn’t win that war.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Swedish_War_(1788%E2%80%9390)
Jonas A.: Does not matter….Bush did that with Iraq….now, current prezzie is doing the same thing to Syria….we have no business being there….
Thomas Pa.: I don’t think it’s going to be that big a deal, unless of of course you are a Syrian living really close to a chemical weapon facility, that might be a problem. We will have to wait and see if Pres is true to his word. Hoping he does much better than Bush but really only time will tell.
Jonas A.: I hope so…Syria is no threat to us…and butting heads with Russia over that country will make it WW3…just saying…
Thomas Pa.: for now, I believe the “no boots on the ground” model. Usually when it goes the other way they leave themselves a little more “latitude” in their statements.
Rayn: But, Jonas, you’re forgetting that war IS peace, now! You better bellyfeel AmeriCorporation, or else you will be punished for thoughtcrime!
Jonas A.: lol!
Nick S.: Handing out a Nobel Peace Prize for what someone CLAIMED they’d do in the future was perhaps a slightly hasty decision.
Thomas Pa.: Nick, let’s hope it gives him something to live up to.
Nick S.: I sincerely hope that it will. But being as (full disclosure: I’m from the UK so am not the most reliable/knowledgeable about US politics) from what I can gather, his pre-election promises haven’t exactly been the blueprint for his post-election actions (and yes, being stymied by congress doesn’t help) I’m not convinced.
Thomas Pa.: your cynicism is historically justified
Nick S.: This is one of those times when I wish I wasn’t right.
Nick S.: (Heh, who am I kidding, I’ve never been wrong so I wouldn’t know what that feels like)
Thomas Pa.: you are going to be wrong this time- let’s hope
Nikki J.: I’d go for “impeachment” if Obama’s plan goes through, but taking away the Peace Prize is a good start.
Michael S.: Hey guys, I agree with what you are saying, but also think that frequently to prevent mass murder (like what’s going on in Syria), you have to go to war. I think that one of the hardest parts of being a world leader. I guess I’m a proponent of realpolitik.The Nobel Peace Prize is really a joke nowadays because it doesn’t mean much in many today’s political circumstances.
Michael S.: I wouldn’t usually say yes to war, but possibly could could when more than 100,000 people have been massacred.
Michael S.: I think war is justified to prevent possible genocide.
Michael S.: Kind of like in 1930s and 40s Europe
Michael S.: also 1990s Balkans
Michael S.: I think that history will judge us poorly if we don’t do something.
Nick S.: The US seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place. Which I find to be grossly unfair.
If it doesn’t act, then it gets criticised for not helping when it’s the world’s largest superpower. But at the same time, if it does act, then it gets criticised for being Team America: World Police.
Perhaps the answer is to act, but in a way that doesn’t involve military force?
Jonas A.: Well, in retrospect…this type of nation-building intervention was in the American makeup since the very beginning…just ask the Mexicans during the 1842 Mexican-American War or the Cubans, Filipinos and even Puerto Ricans after the 1898 Spanish American War and the Native Americans during the Indian Wars after the Civil War……no one asked America for their opinions to occupy them…and “civilizing” the “natives’….
Nick S.: …or indeed the English (and other nations) who comprised/became Americans. There are very few nations that don’t have blood on their hands if you look back far enough.
[Bit of an aside]
One thing that has always puzzled me about the US is that there’s a far greater degree of patriotism/national pride than there is in the UK, there’s loads of chants of “USA! USA! USA! USA! NUMBER ONE!” and yet ask an American what nationality they are and the answer is (almost always in my experience) “Well, I’m 1/8 Irish, 1/4 Italian, there’s some Polish in there too, etc.” – and I’ve never been able to understand how both things can be true! If you’re that proud of your country, then surely you’ll be proud to identify as being from that country?
Jonas A.: Yeah…that too…just a way of differentiating yourself…just saying…
Nick S.: But why the reluctance to identify as American, and yet at the same time be bragging about how great America is*??! That’s the bit that I really don’t understand
Nick S.: * = and it is. It is a *great* country.
Jonas A.: Also, we are interfering with another country’s Civil War…imagine if the British and French gave explicit support to the South during the last Civil War…and Russia supporting the North…this would not be the country we all know today….
Jonas A.: Hmmmm…not sure why…must be an irrational thing to do…
Nick S.: Sorry, didn’t mean that as a criticism. More of a dumb observation. I’m probably missing something important.
Jonas A.: Could be! LOL!
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