Comment by grawprog | Hacker News Reader

Comment by grawprog | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

Well in the case of Venezuela, America's been interfering with their country since they decided to leave the IMF. Sanctions were imposed upon them and generally, they've been punished by America since and who have made multiple attempts through economic pressure and more direct actions to institute a government that will do what america wants.

>Also, this principle of noninterference you seem to advocate is morally bankrupt,

Well let's look back at some recent history of interference by america. They interfered in the middle east so they could take out the Taliban they trained and armed during the 80's and secure oil.pipelines between the middle east and Russia. This was continued into Libya and Syria using another us backed terrorist group, Isis.

Let's go back a little further to the gulf war where a complete and total fabrication led america to interfere in the middle east.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayirah_testimony

Maybe we can go back to Jamaica in the early 70's and discuss how america armed the political party opposed to Jamaican independence and flooded the country with guns turning it into what essentially became a warzone throughout the 70's and 80's.

Maybe Columbia where the cia backed a government that supported their clandestine cocaine operations responsible for the crack epidemic in poor urban america?

When has America's interference in other countries benefitted anyone other than american corporations and american interests?

If america really cared about about dealing with morally bankrupt countries and governments, why do they ally themselves with Saudi Arabia and other countries well known for human rights abuses? Why do they arm and train terrorist groups?

> Well let's look back at some recent history of interference by america. They interfered in the middle east so they could take out the Taliban they trained and armed during the 80's

You know there's a lot more context there, right? Also, if you start a fire for one reason (e.g. to cook a meal), it's not like you have to stand by that fire to the bitter end, and cannot put it out if it starts to burn down your house.

> Let's go back a little further to the gulf war where a complete and total fabrication led america to interfere in the middle east.

> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayirah_testimony

Was the Iraqi invasion and annexation of Kuwait also fabricated? Because that set things before well before that testimony. Have you looked at the dates?

From your link:

> The Nayirah testimony was a false testimony given before the United States Congressional Human Rights Caucus on October 10, 1990...

Other parts of the article indicate similar allegations were circulating in September 1990.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War:

> The US administration had at first been indecisive with an "undertone ... of resignation to the invasion and even adaptation to it as a fait accompli" until the UK's prime minister Margaret Thatcher played a powerful role, reminding the President that appeasement in the 1930s had led to war, that Saddam would have the whole Gulf at his mercy along with 65 percent of the world's oil supply, and famously urging President Bush "not to go wobbly".[30]

> Once persuaded, US officials insisted on a total Iraqi pullout from Kuwait, without any linkage to other Middle Eastern problems, accepting the British view that any concessions would strengthen Iraqi influence in the region for years to come.[82]

The citations for those last two paragraphs indicate that happen in August 1990.

> If america really cared about about dealing with morally bankrupt countries and governments, why do they ally themselves with Saudi Arabia and other countries well known for human rights abuses? Why do they arm and train terrorist groups?

Because, unfortunately, the world is not so simple and neat. It's complex and ugly. Why did the US ally with the Soviets to defeat the Nazis, when the Soviet system was probably only slightly less evil than the Nazi one? Do you think the US should instead have allied with the Nazis against the Soviets, or maybe just sat the whole thing out and let the Nazis keep Western Europe?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com