WHAT A DIFFERENCE

On September 1, 1983, a Korean Airlines passenger plane (Flight 007) took off from New York for Seoul. While flying over Kamchatka, it was shot down by Soviet forces. All 269 people on board, including crew members, were killed. Later, the Soviet government explained that the aircraft had not been shot down as a passenger plane; their forces had mistaken it for an American spy plane (RC-135) and fired in defense. But the United States rejected this explanation. It argued that the difference between the spy plane and a Boeing 747 passenger aircraft was so obvious that no radar operator could have confused one for the other.

Then, on July 3, 1988, a similar incident took place—but in reverse. An Iran Air passenger plane (Airbus A-300), flying from Tehran to Dubai, was shot down over the Persian Gulf by the U.S. Navy warship USS Vincennes. All 290 people on board, including the crew, were killed. The United States again explained the attack as a mistake, saying its Navy had misidentified the aircraft as a military jet (an F-14 fighter) and fired in self-defense.

But America’s critics rejected this reasoning. They pointed out that the Airbus was far larger than the jet fighter, and the jet was about 250 kilometers faster. Such differences would have been clearly visible on a radar screen. So, they argued, confusion was impossible. (The Times of India, July 5, 1988, p.12; Hindustan Times, July 5, 1988, p.13)

Human beings are quick to recognize the mistakes of others, but when it comes to recognizing their own, they turn into fools. This double standard is the root of all problems. If people applied just one standard, all problems would disappear on their own.