Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 7, 1976, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press wednesday january 7, 1976 4in place of illusions a sober understanding of the Challenge by Andrei Shakila Itzov fourth in a series this past Spring the world press headlined the tragedy of he millions of vietnamese cambodian refugees fleeing from the communist forces about exhausted Chil d r e n about columns of women children and old men mowed Down by mortar fire about planes taking off from surrounded airfields crowded with people who were crazed with fear. Now the communists have won a Complete Victory in South Vietnam and Cambodia. Laos and Thailand May be next in line. From Cambodia where the victors the Khmer Rouge Are not concealing their pro chinese orientation we Are already receiving gruesome reports of mass executions. We Are hearing of the unprecedented act of forced re settlement from the towns to tile Countryside of each and every one of the millions of townsmen and refugees including dying people patients prepared for operations mothers about to give birth and Newborn children. One of the thai ministers recently stated that Many of those who had voluntarily re turned to Cambodia were immediately executed. We May be sure that the population of South Vietnam is still faced with Many years of ordeals ordeals which so far no communist country has been spared cultural revolutions massive repressions and the Domi Nance of the bureaucracy. The situation is complicated by the inevitable struggle be tween the . And China for influence in Vietnam a struggle for which a High Price will have to be paid. What happened As we mow in the 1960s Strong opposition arose in the United states against . Participation in the vietnamese War especially among the intellectuals. As recently As the late 1950s, it Lias seemed natural to the majority to Aid an ally against open aggression and the recent War in Korea stimulated Hopes of a relatively easy Victory. But no years later it had become Clear that the korean Ana logy was deceptive. The War became More and More hopeless and increasingly cruel on both sides. The . Critics of the Viet n a m e s e War saw clearly that Victory was not coming any closer and they concluded mistakenly i believe that it could be gained Only through the kind of decisive actions that would jeopardize t h e modern world order. In Short they regal cd cd the War As lost arid sought a More or less Honor Able Way out of it trying to Stop the bombing the killing of peaceful inhabitants by Means of napalm phosphorus antipersonnel bombs and the other infernal inventions of modern warfare and to halt the deaths of . Sol Diers. Here i am speaking of the most honest and historically responsible critics of the War among whom 1 would in clude Daniel Usberg the b e r r i g a n Brothers Paul Meyer and along with them there was a whole army of noisier irresponsible critics who exploited the great tragedy for their own narrowly political ends. Especially disgraceful was the Many europeans who did not lift a Finger to provide any real help but often demagogic ally distorted the real Complex situation and the historical perspective. Many who criticized United states participation in the Vietnam War overlooked the fact that the War had been started As a result of a direct military violation of the Geneva agreements that during All those years there had been a Large scale Mili tary economic and political intervention by the . And China not just altruistic Aid but direct pressure and that in fact the War and communism had been foisted upon the majority of the South vietnamese and cambodians without the right to choose and compare. They overlooked the fact that atrocities were commit Ted by both sides. They did not take into account the tremendous importance in the matter of preserving Good Faith throughout the anti communist world of Ameri Ca s living up to its commit ments to its allies. I believe that the tragic of events could have been prevented if the United states had acted More resolutely and consistently in the military and e s p e c i a 11 a the political spheres. Political pressure on the . To prevent Deli veries of arms to North Viet Nam the prompt dispatch of a Large expeditionary Force involving the tin More effective economic Aid and bringing in other asian and. European countries these things could have influenced the course of events and thereby prevented the Long War with All its horrors on both sides. 1 a great share of the responsibility must be Borno by the other Western countries Japan and the nations of the third world which in no Way supported the ally that was helping them tremendously in the difficult almost hopeless attempt to oppose the totalitarian threat in Southeast Asia. I shall not even discuss the responsibility of the ., the people s Republic of China and other socialist though in fact what should detente be if of All an attempt to avoid military conflicts even when the warhead reached an impasse a combination of diplomatic arid Resolute military efforts explained to the . People and to the whole world could have stabilized just As it was stabilized in Europe where the division of Germany is a tragic and i Hope temporary phenomenon but not one that Threa tens International peace. But All this proved impossible without the support of world and american Public opinion. The Paris agree ments resulted even before the War was Over of american pos from imprisonment in North Vietnam. At the same time those agreements betrayed South Vietnam and perhaps in the future other nations of the world. At a crucial moment and with no hesitation the North. Vietnamese armed with the newest soviet weapons Vio lated their obligations under the Paris agreements and overwhelmed the South Viet namese army. The result is common knowledge. I want to believe that the terrible lesson of Indochina not be lost upon the whole world and especially not on the United states. Instead of isolationism a Sel Fless generous and courageous concern for the fates of All human beings. In place of a sober under standing of the Challenge that history has thrown out to the leaders of the Western world. Not a half hearted inconsistent foreign policy never adequately explained to the Public but a carefully weighed Choice of key ideas i and a maximum of resolve in carrying them out. Not squabbles Between political parties and Petty economic and political calculations but a readiness to make the Nec Essary sacrifices and prac Tise some austerity for the Sake of saving Mankind and thereby one s own country. One should expect As much from the land of Lincoln Franklin Roosevelt Eisen Hower and George Marshall As Well As from other coun tries in both the West and the East. Another scene of bloody events is the Middle East. The decades of confrontation which beginning in the 1950s was kindled by a self seeking soviet foreign policy have so muddled the situation that it is now difficult to find a solution that is generally acceptable. I often recall a talk Given in 1955 by a High official of the . Council of ministers to a group of scientists assembled at the Kremlin. He said that at that time the principles of the new soviet policy in the Middle East were being discussed i the presidium. And he observed that the Long Range goal of that policy was to exploit Arab nationalism in order to create difficulties for the european countries in obtaining crude Oil and thereby to gain influence Over them. Today when the world Economy 5ms been Dis Organ. Sized by the Oil crisis one can plainly see How Crafty and effective is the subtext of Tjie jail policy the just cause of the Arab a. Although the. West pretends that the . Lias played no role in the situation. During the october War of 1973, begun by Egypt and Syria general Sharon s a Mored divisions which had broken through into a Broad strategic area were halted and brought Back owing to the intervention of Secretary of state Kissinger who was in Contact with the worried soviet leaders. There is cur rent an opinion holding that under those specific conditions the intervention was Al most a betrayal of Israel s Security depriving it of the fruits of a hard won Victory. I do not fully share that View. But i feel that in october 1973 the United states and the european nations assumed responsibility for the Fate of Israel and that the time has come to pay that Bill. I believe that Here As in other analogous problem areas Unity among the West Ern countries in Indi Spensi ble. They must be ready to make economic sacrifices up to and including a temporary embargo on arabian Oil to demand firmly of the soviet government and other states that they Stop or restrict de liveries of weapons strive for a Compromise taking the real requirements of both sides into account. Only such a policy corresponds to the Long term interests of All countries in the world including the Western nations. One of the Central prob lems of the Middle Eastern conflict is the Fate of the palestinian people. I am con Vinced that the interested parties the palestinian arabs Israel Jordan will undoubtedly find a solution acceptable to All but it is important that the leaders of the palestinians demonstrate their Good Faith toward the future regulation of the Arab israeli conflict As a whole and toward these purity of Israel and that they shove their respect for International Law divorcing themselves from extremist and terrorist groups. Excerpted from my country and the world by Andrei d. Sakharov Winner of the Nobel peace prize. Copyright 1975 by Alfred a. Knopf inc. Next . Intellectuals fat sate now on at convention Centre As Low Chevelle As Low As Novas 235 new 1976 cars Chevrolet my 14 53935 54499 offers Samaros Monte Carlos att Low As Tif a Chevius Tow Monas As Low As. Cutlass As Low a. Corvettes 3 to choose from Winnipeg s largest selection of used cars. 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