Well let's keep in mind how this thread got started, which is you said Iraq presented a threat that was inevitable, and I asked why.
"And Baathism is commited to the resurgence of the Arab people to global leadership"
It makes sense to me that Arabs would want a position of global leadership for the Arab people. Who wouldn't want a position of global leadership? Very few countries aspire to irrelevancy.
"Iraq improved ballistic missile designs itself, and, if I recall, shared them in turn."
Can't imagine who they shared them with.
"The countries of the Arabian peninsula are extremely weak, militarily, and are used to buying off threats. They are appeasers, pure and simple."
I seem to recall a very bloody war between Iraq and Iran.
"We had a window of opportunity, and took it."
I don't see how that relates to Iraq presenting an inevitable threat.
"We took precautions, but did not take hits. If the threat had a greater hold on the imagination, perhaps through attacks on places like Riyadh, I have little doubt the public would have reacted differently."
I think the threat has failed to take a great hold on the imagination due to the lack of evidence that a threat existed.
Re Riyadh, if wishes were horses poor men would ride.
"Yes, Israel probably would strike pre-emptively. Do we want a nuclear exchange in the Middle East?"
I don't think going to war to prevent Israel from responding to attacks with nuclear weapons is justifiable. Also it does nothing to establish that Iraq presented an inevitable threat. |
