Said Musa Quotes

In 1983 in the wake of the Korean airliner shootdown, there were diplomatic arguments of landing rights in New York for Russian U. N. diplomats. This prompted some U. N. member nations to call for the removal of the U. N. from New York:

American Presidents after Wilson have not, in general, shared this view. By the latter part of the 20th century judgmentalism was a major component of American foreign policy and reached its zenith with the administration of George W. Bush.

Those environmentalists who take this view do not give credence to other alternatives. For example, the same argument of environmental decision-making could logically justify one superpower nation taking over the government of all others on the planet for environmental matters. Another possibility is that the existing mechanisms and the UN are sufficient if the major powers reach agreement. Another is that science and technology will provide solutions.

This quotation illustrates a huge reversal of policy. When Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists were defeated by the Communist Chinese in the Civil War, the Nationalists retreated to the island of Formosa (Taiwan) which was the only Chinese Province they held. There was the thought of setting up a separate nation on Taiwan, but Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists insisted that there was only one China and that they were the rightful government. At the time they held the Chinese UN Seat. The Communists also insisted that there was one China and Taiwan was a part of it with the Nationalists there being rebels. Chiang Kai-shek maintained that the people really wanted the Nationalists and they could take back the mainland. That turned out to be unrealistic and then the UN seat was given to the Communists as they were the de facto government of all of China except the province of Taiwan. There was nothing that the Nationalists and Communists agreed upon except that there was one China and Taiwan was a part of it. That, and the request of the Nationalist Chinese, has been the U. S Policy for decades. However by the 21st century, it was clear, even to the most fervent Nationalists, the Chinese Communists had won the allegiance of the majority of the Chinese people and they were not going to be successful in mounting a counter-revolution. Moreover, the Communist Military was much superior and some of the Nationalists started worry that Taiwan would be governed by the Communists along with the rest of China, So Lu and other Nationalists, flip flopped and took the position that Taiwan was an independent country—a view that is not recognized by the U. S. or China.

This is a statement that was meant as a criticism but would be interpreted by many Americans as just a straight forward description. Many believe that is the way it should be.

There have been times in democracies where a foreign ministry (State Department) is isolated from the elected politicians and implements a foreign policy that is at odds with the wishes of the elected officials and the majority of the nation. A good American example of this was in 1948 where America had to decide whether to support the creation of the State of Israel in the United Nations and through diplomatic recognition. The professional diplomats in the State Department had developed very close relations with Arab States, and many State Department employees were anti-Semitic. In addition, they thought the most important thing for America was not to risk the Arab oil supply. Meanwhile, the people, Congress, and President Truman were on the other side and Truman had to finally order The Secretary of State to stop his professional diplomats from pursuing their own foreign policy preferences. Even then some did not.

The Kurdish People do not have a homeland of their own but are minorities of other states—mostly in Turkey and Iraq. There was a “Kurdistan” for a few years but it did not last do to major geopolitical forces. Whereas Barzani is opposed to violence, there are other Kurds who have resorted to vicious terrorism in their quest for a homeland. Kurds represent a wide range of opinion on the best way to create a stat of Kurdistan, but they were at the time, almost unanimous on their desire for independence and the belief in their moral right to have a homeland.