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

To: SARMAN who wrote (231464)	5/16/2007 1:26:44 PM
From: carranza2	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You didn't read the article, did you? After being a world leader several centuries ago, the ME has fallen and fallen hard. Not even the windfall of high oil profits has cured the pathetic 60+% literacy rate, nor has it promoted agriculture, technological innovation, etc. As the author pointed out, the ME's principal exports are resentment and consumption of foreign goods. You may continue to think that H. won the last to-do, just as the Egyptians believed that crossing the Sinai for a few days meant that the war was won. If you remember your history, you will recall that the Sinai was Israel's property for a very long time after 1973. And H. has been very silent lately. Perhaps the horrific losses it took has something to do with this silence. You may continue to fantasize that the filling up of SUVs leads to us getting beaten. The more your people fantasize, hang around cafes smoking hubbly-bubblys all day long, the more they will fall behind. The fact of the matter is that except for the oil you don't matter. If you didn't have it, you would competing with the Africans for aid money, going through famines, who knows what else. And you don't control the oil, it controls you. It is, in fact, the reason why you are so screwed up and will continue to be so screwed up. Iran imports gasoline for domestic consumption. LMAO! A tiny elite gets the benefit of the oil. It takes it and spends it on insane things, like the development in Dubai which will never make a profit. But it takes a lot of petrodollars to buy Ferraris and Mercedes and Monte Carlo vacations in private 747s loaded with blond prostitutes, things which 99.99% of the population of the ME will never see. Somehow, someway, you guys think that winning means putting even more money in the hands of despots who misuse it, rulers who could give a rat's ass about you or about their countries. The sad fact is that you know this yet cannot do anything about it except, yes, indulge in your fantasies. You think Allah blessed you with oil? Think again. He played a cruel practical joke on you.

To: SARMAN who wrote (231464)	5/16/2007 1:37:46 PM
From: bentway	Respond to of 281500

Yes, our genius President has figured a way to have a war where we pay the freight for BOTH sides! The price of gasoline has more than doubled on his watch, and a lot of the increase is the instability tax we pay to his oily friends and the Arabs, and then to their side of the war. It lets him play "Commander Guy"! ( or "Codpiece Guy" depending on your POV ) Why would our enemies WANT him gone? He pays for their end of the war, and recruits their fighters! It's Christmas in Mecca with him around!