“They’re going to have a hard time eating their oil.”

Condoleeza Rice
U.S. National Security Advisor,
Shrugging off Iraq’s decision to stop oil sales for 30
Days as a protest over the conflict in the Middle East.
(Quoted from TIME Magazine- April 22. 2002)

Earlier on I had mentioned that, though just about every nation of the World, had publicly condemned the recent Israeli action at Ramallah, and yet their was not a single country which had actually made any sort of an effort to pressurize Israel into withdrawing its forces. In Particular I used the incident where Pakistan and India tested its Nuclear weapons, an act that was also condemned by most of the Western World. The difference in this case though, was that even before the week was out, both countries had sanctions of all sorts slapped onto them by the international community.

Here is a country, which is actually taking a public stand beyond that of simply wagging its finger and saying “naughty… naughty boy”. Here is a country which is willing to use more then just words. Iraq made a decision, which stares in the face of economic thought. “Men are rational, and they all attempt to raise their standard of living” stated in loose terms. Iraq was not rational- or perhaps it simply maintains a different sort of rationality- one which modern economists in their capitalistic World simply cannot understand. See, Iraq was willing to strike a very large blow to its own International Exports, on a principle. On the principle that they thought what was happening at Ramallah should be stopped, and stopped at any price.

Here, a Third World Nation, was willing to step forward and actually do something, while some of the rest of the Worlds most powerful nations are willing to do nothing more then stand by and watch. Yet, for this apparent selfless act- this is what the U.S. National Security advisor has to say to them. The Worlds most powerful Nation, stands by and watched, while condemning the entire scenario (originally they weren’t even condemning it)- and yet they have the audacity to berate a much smaller, economically and militarily weaker country, which was willing to put its ideals before anything else.

A country willing to do something as selfless as this, should be praised- not put down by those who are in a better position to do something, yet are willing to do nothing.