American author: “U.S. has been intervening”
Published 14 August, 2008, 09:01
While America's political elite has pledged full support to Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili over the conflict in South Ossetia, a top U.S. author is among those to take up a different stance.
‘Say No to War’ has been Justin Raimondo's slogan for over a decade – from the U.S. intervention in Bosnia to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he has denounced U.S. support for Georgia.
“We've been intervening,” he said. “Who do you think is sending them all these arms and guns which they are using to invade South Ossetia? And of course, we just had a thousand U.S. troops in Georgia conducting joint military exercises with the Georgian army.”
An activist, former politician and writer, Justin is considered something of an academic celebrity in San Francisco. But he says he doesn't see himself as a star, but as a libertarian.
He values individual freedom and limited government intervention both at home and abroad.
Raimondo is an author of several books, but he is best-known for his controversial writings on the website Antiwar.com.
It is this latest article that has generated a buzz online. In it, Raimondo dissects the idea of Georgia as a bastion of democracy.
He said: “If Georgia is such a great democracy why is it that President Saakashvili had to send in the police to the streets to beat demonstrators after the last election? If Bush did that, there would be an outcry in this country. Saakashvili the great democrat does it, and he is hailed as a great democrat. This is absurd!”
Justin warns that this is not the right time for the U.S. to get involved in another war.
His statement comes after President Bush launched humanitarian relief for Georgia, using military aircraft and ships.
“All aid is humanitarian. But who knows what's on those planes. I would check that out, if I were you,” he says.
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