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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ish who wrote (42504)	9/7/2002 7:10:42 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

That seems to negate the posts here that say the countries in the area won't allow any staging places for the US. Well, sure. As if Arab diplomatic pronouncements have ever had the slightest relation to truth. We all know that a diplomat is a man who is paid to lie for his country, but Arab politics is a real snakepit where they lie to each other and everybody else all the time, even in private, let alone in public pronouncements. Added to all the normal reasons countries lie to each other, the Arabs have a profound need to maintain the honorable ideals of the united Arabs, which are very important to them despite having no relation to reality. So the chief business of Arab League meetings is generally creating an honorable rhetorical facade.

To: Ish who wrote (42504)	9/7/2002 11:07:35 PM
From: Ilaine	Respond to of 281500

That seems to negate the posts here that say the countries in the area won't allow any staging places for the US. True. And this, I believe, is not disinformation. I don't doubt for a minute that the various Arabic governments are worried about, maybe even frightened about, the possibility that they will lose power for reasons which have mostly to do with religion and anti-Americanism, and maybe even anti-Semitism. I also don't doubt them for being reluctant to trust our own government given its dismal track record for trustworthiness in the Middle East. Here in the US we know that all it takes is a shift in the balance of power in Congress to make every promise a President makes turn into shit. So who can blame them? Ronald Reagan is the only one with the balls* to live up to his promises, no matter what, and we'll have to debate until doomsday the intricacies of Iran-Contra. (*Re: balls. Women have them too but in women they are called ovaries, qv Iron Maggie.)