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The Double-Edged Sword of Freedom
As the United States searched for allies in its military effort against Iraq, it ran headlong into a frustrating reality. The very freedom the United States sought to bring to Iraq was being experienced among the population in these potential allies. The people were free to speak their minds and express their positions. And the position that the people in Great Britain, France, and Japan expressed was one of opposition to the war plans of the United States.
Insert footage of French protestors and opponents of the war, TCR 00:09:40-00.10.07.
Do you believe that liberal democracies should limit the ability of individuals to express their views at points at which national security issues are being considered? Do you view the liberties accorded to individuals in liberal democracies as a strength or a liability in time of war?
The uncertainty among the people was reflected in the political process in these nations.
Notice the dramatically different approaches of French President Jacques Chirac and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The public opposition to war with Iraq in France was represented by Chirac. The opposition to war among the Japanese population was largely ignored by Koizumi. Although Japan was not an enthusiastic supporter of the proposed U.S. military action, the Japanese government did not express its doubts with the same intensity with which the Japanese people expressed their opposition.
In your view, which of these leaders was correct: Chirac, whose actions were shaped by the French people, or Koizumi, who acted despite the concerns of the Japanese public? How should a liberal democracy function on the question of whether to go to war?
If you were an adviser to the President of the United States, would you recommend that he exploit Japan’s need for the protection of the U.S. in its relations with North Korea as a means of forcing the Japanese to support the U.S. invasion of Iraq? Would such a move be creative diplomacy or international blackmail?
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