Should we intervene?

Question

If the government of Bolivia is willing to allow millions of acres of jungle to be destroyed in order to promote the logging industry (which provides employment to their citizens)?

Answer 1

It's their country, yet its everyone's world. We are all guilty of environmental wrong-doing. Bolivia should be discouraged from such obliteration of resources by the world community. It would then be incumbent on that community to assist Bolivia in alternative pursuits, or educate them with regard to reforesting the jungles after harvest.
The Bolivian forests are a big chunk of our world's ecological system.

Answer 2

The question presupposes that "we" have a right to intervene in the actions of a government that seems to be acting according to its own perception of what is in the best interests of its own citizens, and its own country.

Are "we" so superior in both perception and knowledge that we should control everyone else?

(One might also ask, if "we" really are that superior, then why do we not apply far more of our expertise at home?)


Presuming that "we" actually have something positive to offer, rather than impose, then should "we" not learn, and then fully examine, the exact conditions within the country, and then carefully consider the ramifications of all efforts that could be made there?



Sadly, governmental intervention over the last two decades, most notably American intervention, has been initiated and imposed with less than adequate advance information, with the results rarely matching, or even approximating, publicly-stated intentions.


Immature thinking included an immature belief that "we" were superior, and had rights to impose our superior thoughts and beliefs on others.

Stated otherwise, immature thought was applied to complex problems, and the immature thoughts were forcibly put into action, the force being used because it was available to be used.

Answer 3

Millions of acres of jungles ? That is really alarming. Not all the logging industry is helping the common man to make a living - there are a number of middle men, law makers, contractors, transporters etc., who are making fast buck from over-exploitation of natural resources. Green forests have become imperative for our survival. Is there no other trade available in Bolivia for people to make a living? Think about alternative rather than destroying nature and regretting later. Global warming is at our door step. If forests are destroyed, naturally rebounding of solar heat into the atmosphere will be multifold and will have a desasterous effect on seasons.

Answer 4

Stop pressuring the people of the world with our hypocritical, destructive, and ineffective "war on (some) drugs". Let the people go back to what they were doing for thousands of years, grow coca. Coca grows in the forest alongside the trees. When the U.S. pressures governments into banning coca production, the people have to move on to some other cash crop to survive.

Coca leaf has been used for thousands of years and is less harmful, and less addictive, than tobacco. It only becomes dangerous and addictive when it is concentrated (with toxic chemicals), but the current policy encourages more and more highly concentrated forms of the drug, because the expense and danger of importing illegal coca requires a high value density to make it worth the risk.

Answer 5

when people like you say "should we intervene" who is the "we" ? are you personally going over there and kick some a-s-s? there are some people in the world, who worry about making a living and having some type of employment. you are lucky to live in a country, where a few are eager to let everybody starve, to save a damn bug, or bird, or sucker fish that no one eats. don't you think we stick our noses in too many places now, without trying for more? why don't you do gooders just worry about ruining your own country.

Answer 6

No, we should let other countries worry about themselves for a change. The United States needs to solve more pressing problems of our own, like illegal immigration and securing our border so some nut case looking to martyr himself and go to paradise and get his 72 virgins don't sneak in among the illegal aliens and blow us up or unleash some hellish biochemical weapon.

Answer 7

Here is a plan: Lets leave the rest of the world alone to sort out their own wants and needs. It works; it really does!!

Answer 8

We should only intervene if we have a better solution to the hunger, unemployment, illiteracy problems. If we have no other way to solve these problems, tell me, how are trees more important than people?

Answer 9

I suppose we should....However, there are greater circumstances to focus on at this time -- such as: hunger, racism, ageism, sexism, classism, child abuse/abandonment, gun control, unemployment, financial hardship, lack of healthcare, homelessness, an underdeveloped educational system, the AIDS epidemic, Cancer, animal abuse, etc.

And, they are all here in our own backyards of America.

Please do not misunderstand me. I, too, am concerned about foriegn affairs. However, how can we help others, when we cannot help ourselves?!?!

Answer 10

I would definitely like to intervene! I rather like breathing