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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: BubbaFred who wrote (6800)	2/9/2003 11:44:01 AM
From: John Curtis	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 25898

I thought I'd share this with folks to provoke some thought. ratical.org summary Although completely suppressed in the U.S. media, the answer to the Iraq enigma is simple yet shocking -- it is an oil currency war. The real reason for this upcoming war is this administration's goal of preventing further Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) momentum towards the euro as an oil transaction currency standard. However, in order to pre-empt OPEC, they need to gain geo-strategic control of Iraq along with its 2nd largest proven oil reserves. This lengthy essay will discuss the macroeconomics of the `petro-dollar' and the unpublicized but real threat to U.S. economic hegemony from the euro as an alternative oil transaction currency. *************** They go on to present a rather interesting point of view.... John~

To: BubbaFred who wrote (6800)	2/9/2003 11:44:35 AM
From: BubbaFred	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

Nuri Jacob A former Iraqi civil servant who emigrated with his family from Baghdad to the UK in 1979 Tuesday February 4, 2003 I left Iraq about 23 years ago. I used to enjoy my life over there, everything was nice. It's a very lovely country with a very generous people. When the regime changed, things started to get worse and people started leaving Iraq. I had a hunch that things were going to get bad. A few months after I left, the war with Iran started. The regime was good at the time that I left. Saddam Hussein was giving away lots of presents and lots of things to people. Those were the years when he was very well liked by the Iraqi people. Religious freedoms weren't really restricted. Saddam Hussein was good, generally speaking, with Christians - I am a Christian - but the restrictions were economic and political more than anything. But then obviously, as things went on, things weren't getting good. There was the war with Iran for eight years, then the Gulf war. There were always restrictions on freedoms because of the war situation. People of my age were all in the army and they didn't have a chance to live their life, do whatever they wanted to do. Millions of people were affected in that way. The poverty started with the sanctions - that affected the Iraqi people so much. The Iraqi people are suffering more than the regime is suffering. I have very few relatives there now, but my wife does - she has the whole of her family still living in Baghdad. We speak to them on the phone, we write to them and email them. But generally speaking they can't speak freely, they can't express any opinions, because everybody is afraid. The impression we are getting from them is that, not that they're looking forward to the idea of war, but that they are just getting used to it; it's part of their life at the moment. They're not preparing anything. I mean, I watch all the reports on the BBC, but my relatives say that there's nothing much happening in Baghdad. If the war happens it will affect the Iraqi people, not the regime. The regime was protected in 1990 and probably will be protected now: nothing will happen to it. The only people who will suffer will be the Iraqi people. I don't support the war because I know what's going to happen. Everything will be flattened and Iraq will be back many years behind other countries in the world. I think the US's motives are economic - weapons and oil. They're going to get the benefit out of that while the Iraqi people are suffering. If they cared about the Iraqi people, they wouldn't do damage to them like they're doing now. I think they should just concentrate on removing the regime. In 1990 they attacked and they demolished everything that was standing in Iraq, so the Iraqis lost a lot that way. If they can do it without too much damage to the infrastructure of Iraq, the Iraqi people can build themselves up again. We're dreaming about a democratic society - peace of mind, freedom for people, like we have here in the UK. I would like Iraq to have a democracy and to have freedom. I think the Iraqi people are a very clever, generous, hospitable people. Twenty-five years ago, it was a different Iraq, it was a good country to visit, a lovely people. If economic the situation improves in Iraq people will go back, trading and doing business with other countries. It will be a lovely country again.