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

To: Michael Watkins who wrote (147414)	10/8/2004 3:10:51 PM
From: michael97123	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I dont have a problem with your post in general but i do with what you have as US agenda items you list below: "- rid Iraq of Saddam - get a nice functioning society going with a leadership that was kindly to the US and unafraid to use internal police powers (damn any human rights abuses) to keep internal terrorist development at bay - threaten other countries in the region with same - sit back and collect the rewards." I think you concentrate way too much on institution of a repressive regime being our goal. I do believe we want democracy and an example for other arab states of a path to take. In so doing if they have to be tough with terrorists so be it.

To: Michael Watkins who wrote (147414)	10/9/2004 9:48:59 AM
From: Keith Feral	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Michael: The Islamic fundamentalists are the exact WMD that the US is fighting on a daily basis in Iraq. We are fighting the most venmousous weapons of destruction in the world. These terrorists have been trained for decades to kill Westerners by their respective governments. Islamic charities have been established by the governments throughout the Middle East so that the jihad against the West could bring fear and instability. The absolute lack of respect is not going to end until the Middle East decides to accept a deterrent force to stop the killings. Where do they get a deterrent force? The instability has brough unprecedented levels of wealth to the oil rich nations. I am sure that the people of Iraq would snub their noses at the fact that the huge cost of the war far outweighs the gains they have received from the higher price of oil. 2 points there. First, most of the destruction is coming from Iraqi terrorists hell bent on blowing up Westerners and any Iraqi people (including children) within a 50 foot radius. Second, the economic benefits of oil have never been shared with the people. To get to my point, the civilized people of our country cannot make uncivilized decisions. The decision to enter a pre-emptive war in Iraq was uncivilized. It was a barbaric act of violence that International law has condemned. Nontheless, it is supported by our Congress and the beloved Kerry agreed to send out troops too. People need to be debating the reasons behind the secret mission against Iraq. We all sit back and presume that the resistance against US troops and Iraqi civilians is the direct result of our presence. However, the anarchy within Iraq is equally dependent upon the fact that new leaders are emerging. They are using military resistance as bargaining power to increase their political demands from the new government, witness al Sadr. All of the murder and mayhem is being coordinated by regional leaders. Once they get their rebels to stop blowing up everything is sight, they will be rewarded with political office and economic concessions. It is not fair to sit back and keep screaming at Bush because terrorists in Iraq randomly blow up checkpoints and hotels full of innocent people. It will be important to move past the elections and create a nationally elected office. That way, the leaders of Iraq can divide up the power. I think that Bush is going to get blamed for whatever happens in Iraq. Maybe it would be good to throw Kerry into office just to alleviate the tension. However, I have no doubt that Bush is hardly to blame for the state of terrorism in the Middle East. Despite the regression of policy to fight this war in no uncertain half assed support, I generally support every decision that the US has made throughout this conflict. further, I believe that underneath all of the political correctness of our ACLU based idealism, most people know that the course of action against Iraq was unilaterally demanded. Go back and look at the approval ratings prior to the war and after the sacking of Baghdad.