NATO Discussion

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1999 21:17:27 -0400
From: parnas@qusunt.cas.mcmaster.ca (Dave Parnas)
To: general@rideau.net, sfp-net@chebucto.ns.ca
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current 
I agree completely with Len's analysis but wonder about tactics.

I believe that it would require an earthquake in public
opinion to get Canada out of NATO and wonder how to get
the majority of Canadians to understand.  

One thought might be that a campaign for reform and re-orientation
(no out-of-area intervention, no pre-emptive defense) would 
be more likely to get support.  When NATO turned that down,
their arguments would reveal their true colours.  

The disturbing facts about public opinion are the number
of letters and statements that claim that NATO's action
in Yugoslavia were intended to stop expulsions and murders
when all facts indicate that it had, and was intended to have,
the reverse effect.  People are more willing to believe that
NATO was unbelievably stupid than that they caused this 
intentionally.  One writer to the Guardian indicated that the
fact that the expulsions began after the binding just showed
how clever Milosevic is.  People obviously do not want
to believe that NATO has turned bad and they won't 
believe what they do not want to believe.  

How can we change that?

Prof. David Lorge Parnas, P.Eng. 
NSERC/Bell Industrial Research Chair in Software Engineering
Director of the Software Engineering Programme
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTING AND SOFTWARE
Faculty of Engineering
McMaster University, 
Hamilton, Ontario  Canada L8S 4L7

Telephone: 905 525 9140 Ext. 27353
Telefax:   905 525 6246
email: parnas@qusunt.CAS.McMaster.CA



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