The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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Mark, This doesn't help. My intention in my message was to make the interaction with Sama a constructive one - since Sama is going to continue being in the public eye, my concern is that she puts her case honestly. I was trying to suggest that her stance on sanctions did not help her case in favour of the war on Iraq, and in many ways hindered it. If I may say so, I find it deeply depressing that you seriously wish people to be banished from the list because they don't follow your 'party line' on sanctions. Insofar as she remains civil and constructive, Sama just like anyone else should remain a full and valued contributor to the list. We could indeed become a cosy list of preachers to the converted. We would no doubt feel cosy and happy in our self-righteous indignation. But this refusal to engage in dialogue is dangerous and damaging. So is the demonising of those who disagree as 'sanctions deniers'. Aside from my deep unease about this parallel, it is simply inaccurate. People arguing that sanctions are the fault of Saddam Hussein are not a fringe group of racist lunatics; moreover they are not talking about a holocaust that occurred 60 years ago. They are, rather, the leaders of the most powerful countries on earth, along with the majority of their media and a frighteningly large proportion of their populations, talking about a crisis that is occurring as we speak. We can cast them as devils and racists and imperialists and refuse to speak to any of them - and thereby fall into the same mental mould as George Bush and his ilk. Or, along with our protests and civil disobedience - vital as these are - we can also insist on continued dialogue and debate. Self-righteousness and blinkered vision are not the sole preserve of one's opponents - recognising these traits in onesself is maybe the first step towards a saner world... Abi > I think you did very well to pick this up Abi. > > I heard Sama Haddad say on that program: "sanctions did not kill > people ..." > > I have previously complained to the list moderator about having > people on this List and Sama in particular who are obviously > 'sanctions denyers'. > > What is interesting is how much airtime she and other members of the > IPO get here in the UK. They have no constituency in Iraq and are > only a recent creation. The media thirst for pure anti Saddam Hussein > and they provide it. > _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk