I protest.

George McGovern again.

George McGovern had another essay in the April 4, 2002 issue of The Nation: Questions for Mr. Bush.

This is long before the recent push for war with Iraq, the snubbing of our (former) allies and the dismissal of the UN. If anything, though, it is even more relevant now that it was a year ago.

The question he raises is one that should be asked over and over, loudly: Wouldn't doing good in the world be much, much more effective than making war on a few scapegoats and ignoring the rest of the world's problems? Couldn't we reduce the hatred of the US not by making war on so-called "rogue" nations, but by improving the lot of the citizens of those nations?

Right now the US is at odds with North Korea over their development of nuclear weapons. The North Korean leadership has reacted to the ignorant insults by the US leaders with face-saving defiance. (This should hardly be surprising, particularly if one has even the slightest knowledge of Asian culture.) But wouldn't this whole issue be resolved much easier with we, first, took the pressure off, then began to provide support to that country? In the long run, a wealthy, stable North Korea is much more in our interest than a poverty-stricken, fearful North Korea. Certainly the country is justified in fearing that they might be invaded by a North American aggressor, given the invasion of Iraq and the sabre-rattling of Rumsfeld and the rest toward Syria and Iran.

If the poor of the Middle East were receiving large amounts of aid and support from the United States, bin Laden's support would vanish like mist. But if the only way to "fight terrorism" is to drop bombs and invade "rogue states," the hate and bitterness people feel towards the United States will only increase. And the bin Ladens of the world will have no shortage of recruits.