President Bush Sends Troops to Saudi Arabia

President Bush has done an excellent job of arranging the United Nations economic boycott of Iraq. This is an exciting, and I hope precedent setting, use of the United Nations. However, the justification for sending American soldiers or sailors into harm’s way in Saudi Arabia needs to be re-examined.

Are we fighting to prevent a democracy from being overrun by a dictatorship? No.

Are we fighting to stop communism or fighting a surrogate of the Soviets? No.

Are we part of a United Nations multinational force in which all nations with a vital interest are doing their share? No.

It seems to me that we are trying to accomplish two things by our willingness to use military force:

1) To prevent one dictatorship from overrunning another.

2) To prevent the price of oil from rising.

How can we justify spilling American blood for either of these? Why can’t we let the Japanese or West Germans spill their blood to keep the price of oil down?

In the past, we felt compelled to send our servicemen into action in regional conflicts because they were part of a larger battle against communism. Today this threat is virtually gone. We must not leap into regional conflicts, out of habit, now that the main justification is gone.

Would it be so bad to let the Arab nations fight among themselves (or sue for peace) without us? Would it be so bad to let Japan and Europe beg us to help them intervene, instead of letting us protect their interests by ourselves as usual.

Boycott? Yes.

War? Over oil? Let the Europeans and Japanese lead the charge!

DANA PARKER

Anaheim