>>>The commercial world is about COMPETITION. <<<
Two problems with this logic:
1.) Had the French and Russians signed on instead of being COMPETITIVE... Who says they would have been screwed out of anything? They would have been in the SAME BOAT they are in right now, less Sadam, plus greater stability, plus with destruction of OPEC, everyone would have gotten cheap oil. By being on the wrong side, they are suggesting they liked the status quo. It makes no sense unless they want us to look like vultures(SHAPING WORLD OPINON)--at the expense of the Iraqi people.
2.)Other Oil Producing nations are not standing in the way of this war. Why? Because the US is, and will always be the #1 consumer of oil? No, can't be that because if we were simply being imperialist, we'd screw OPEC and take the oil for ourselves(what's to stop us?).
Pretty freaking fine line to be walking in the ME!
With respect to arms trade etc. The fact that they were sold it at all is absolutely disgusting. I understand your point, but I don't excuse government black market conspiracy theories. People selling this stuff know where it's going...and nobody knows if they were an arm of the soviet government.
The point was made that this is ALL about oil. To which you now admit that it's not ALL about oil. I still contend that stability in this region(which means limiting the threats to regional US interest, eg WMD), and shaping world opinion (with a significant weight on TERRORISM) are also chief factors in this.
I don't see how the US could sit by any longer without having this boil over in larger scale later. |
