[CLUE-Talk] Iraq Stuph

[Kevin Cullis]

Jeff,

On Mon, 2003-04-21 at 21:37, Matt Gushee wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 21, 2003 at 09:03:07PM -0600, Match Grun wrote:
> > Just because Baghdad fell so quickly does _NOT_ mean the anti-war
> > movement was right. This seems like that old adage about statistics!
> 
> Perhaps--and it may depend what you mean by "right." It appears to mean,
> does it not, that Iraq was really not much of a military threat after
> all? Where was the imminent danger that our leaders made so much of in

In military terms, there are mercenaries and there are armies, which has
the greater threat?  Depends in where and when it is used.  Look what 19
mercenaries did on 9/11!  The threat is real no matter where or the
numbers that are threatening us.  A person with a 22 is still as scarey
as one with a .45 cal.

> pushing for invasion. You do remember, don't you, that it was all
> supposed to be about Weapons of Mass Destruction--until it became
> embarrassingly obvious that there were few if any such to be found? Then
> the reason switched to "liberating the Iraqi people." Which, if you ask
> me, could be a legitimate reason for having started the war. But that
> was *not* why this whole thing got started. Doesn't that bother you at
> all?

>From my point of view, a threat is a threat

> 
> > If we never invaded, Baghdad would not have fallen, and probably
> > would not fall for many years.
> 
> Are you sure that Baghdad had to "fall" for meaningful change to take
> place in Iraq?

Yes, I do!  It means that "democracy" will happen a little bit sooner
now and the rest of the Arab nations will be looking hard at how it
progresses as we get it going.  I will venture to say that the results
will be between two extremes: the Iraq and the Arab nations will get
take an even harder stance against us OR the economic boon which I am
inclined to think will happen will be the beginning of a domino effect
of "democracy" over time with the rest of the Arab world following
behind them.  I am expecting that the 100s of billions of dollars
(frans, DM, Euros) that will be spent over the next 10 years or so
rebuilding Iraq will create a new economic power house that the EU and
US will have to compete with.  Qatar is just one nation with the UAE
that is following this direction.

My $1.02 worth ;-)

Kevin


-- 
Kevin Cullis <kevincu at orci.com>