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

To: Bilow who wrote (101035)	6/10/2003 9:49:06 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Respond to of 281500

The Kuwaitis had personal hatred for Saddam. But they didn't send a single soldier across the border to help us. Qatar? Bahrain? UAE? Oman? Jordan? And I don't believe we asked them to send any soldiers, knowing how delicate such a request would be... Just provide us basing rights. I think it's that they want to see us f'ed up in Iraq. Like you said, they are not our friends. Depends on who you're talking about... National governments are not monolithic, even in Monarchies. And just because some 1/3 of the Iraqi people don't want us in Iraq doesn't mean that 2/3 do.. I think most of us recognize that nations have interests. And most of those nations were MORE than willing to see the US do their "dirty work" in removing the threat of Saddam Hussein from their backyard. But the question is what price will be exacted from them in return. I offer than they any nation seeking to provide active support to the US, both in troops and logistics, will likely be treated more fairly than those nations which don't. It's all a big geo-political dance to see who will be "leading" whom. But with the passing of time, more "tools" will become available to US strategy in the region, including the ability to authorize the "dumping" of oil on the market (or maybe looking the other way), since the cost of production in Iraq is so minor (and the profit so high). The nations in the region already are on the economic ropes.. Saudi Arabia is in tremendous debt, primarily due to having to finance the whims of multi-thousand member royal family. 50% of its population is under the age of 18... And with Iraq sitting there with direct access to US aid, military protection, and technology, they stand to make some major improvements over the coming years. Something that will not likely be happening in these other nations. What Turkey did was to make sure that their price was just a little bit too high for Bush to pay, Nice bit of revisionism... And I guess that's why the 4th ID remained in Turkish ports while both the US and Turkey haggled until the point where the US pulled out unilaterally and said %$#% you all.. Turkey considered itself INDISPENSABLE to the US war plan. It was outright extortion on their part.. Highway robbery, one might suggest.. And with the 4th ID sitting in their harbors, they had NO IDEA the US would pull out and tell them to p*ss off.. Bush wouldn't DARE, if only for the sake of the alliance. But Bush called their bluff and the war still went alright.. And Turkey was left with nothing... And there has been, reportedly, serious disaffection in the Turkish military over what happened. Hawk