**OT**
RE: "P.S. Do people in Dubai seem to be pro or against the bombing?"
From my shortish experience in the Middle East, the Arab people as a whole are relatively emotional. The Iraq question has always been quite controversial as we have a small expat population of Iraqis here.
In essence, most locals are anti Saddam and his repressive policies and feel sorry for the Iraqi people as a whole. With regards the bombing by the US, they are not happy about it. The feeling is that the US & UK should not be getting involved at all. The US particularly is castigated by the locals for this action. I suppose that there is a certain fear of a nation big and ugly enough to step into another country in a thinly disguised effort to depose the current political incumbents.
In addition, this is a Muslim country and the Arab nation are anti the apparent support by the US of Israel, being very anti Israel.
So, in a nutshell, I have to tread a fine line out here with my feelings and reactions about the whole thing.
What do I feel? Well, I have long been a detractor of Saddam and his policies and the threat he poses to the rest of this area and the world in general. I regret the use of force in any situation, but I understand the necessity for it in extreme cases.
I do not think that there was any option but to attack now, before Ramadan. I think the timing is fortuitous for "BJ" Clinton and his impeachment worries, giving him a small breathing space to attempt some damage control. However, I was disgusted by the attitude of the Republican leader (name? on TV last night, stating in no uncertain terms that the entire attack is a political machination by Bill and his party to remove focus from the impeachment process! If anything, his statements proved to me that the entire Monica/impeachment thing is a purely political/power ploy by the Republicans. (I say this as someone who has always been pro Republican, by the way).
Anyway, I am off my soapbox now. Remember, I have never lived in the States, so my opinions expressed above may be completely naive and off target. Comments welcome....
H |
