this is pablo writing in response to the following:

Paul,
Just remember, these people on the streets are the same ones that wanted to be "liberated" by Stalin. Europe had riots for a long time because people wanted the Soviets to come in and plan their economies for them. The only reason they are now seeing the suffering of the Iraqis is because of the war; before now, the media couldn't put cameras on the people dying everyday because of the Iraqi government's "palaces, not food" program. We're just speeding up the glasnost process.

speeding up the glasnost process? if the history deems the downfall of the soviet union as a good thing it will because not only were people 'liberated' from oppressive governments, but they were 'liberated' without being subjected to the social, economic and humanitarian horrors of all out war....glasnost was good because it was not world war III: it was 'openess', not bombs.