How can I tell?
NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Billionaire financier George Soros said on Thursday the war in Iraq has undermined U.S. leadership in the world, mocking the concept that peace and democracy could be achieved through war."The idea that you can introduce democracy via military force is a non-starter," Soros told a gathering at the Council on Foreign Relations. "We have lost the moral high ground."
The currency arbitrageur-turned-philanthropist donated millions of dollars to Democrats in the 2004 presidential election in an unsuccessful effort to defeat President George W. Bush. More generally, he has used his influence and money to speak out on key political issues.
Soros, who is promoting a book lambasting U.S. Middle East policy, said the resentment generated in the Arab world by the bloody conflict in Iraq more than offsets any possible benefits gleaned from efforts to open the country's political process.
Estimates suggest around 50,000 people have died since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, mostly civilians but also 2,700 American soldiers.
Bush and his staff, however, see the conflict as a crucial pillar in what they call a global war on terrorism, despite findings in a recent intelligence report suggesting the Iraq has become a focal point for recruiting jihadists.
Soros argued that Bush's with-us-or-against-us stance in the fight to combat terrorism has hampered America's ability to differentiate between groups like Hamas and Hizbollah, which he said could be dealt with politically, and al-Qaeda.
The Hungarian-born Soros' foundation, The Open Society Institute, is dedicated to promoting liberal values in select developing countries, particularly former Soviet states.
Meanwhile, the NY Post is quoting $oros as saying he'd "very much like to get disengaged from politics."
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