"If it now turns out that on this last hand, Saddam was bluffing, I don't think that makes the US foolish for calling the bluff."
We'll see. War orphans make good terrorists.
aw, c'mon now...that's a bit much, isn't it?
we don't know exactly how many iraqi casualties there were, but it's clear that there weren't many compared to any of iraq's other recent wars. or civil wars, for that matter (200k shiites and 20k kurds killed since 1991).
get a viable non-state economy going, with some political representation for all groups, and you won't have tons of iraqi terrorists. get direct oil revenue accounts for all iraqis and it will be even better.
there aren't any iraqi kurdish terrorists to speak of, and aside from the sadr guys i don't see a lot of shiites going at it. the problem is the sunnis, and hey, it's a real problem, but i just don't see angry tikritis getting on a plane to boston to solve their woes.
i know this may seem pollyanna-ish, but it's only been six months since the invasion. let's see how we're doing a year from now.
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We'll see. War orphans make good terrorists.
- steve 9-24-2003 6:17 am
aw, c'mon now...that's a bit much, isn't it?
we don't know exactly how many iraqi casualties there were, but it's clear that there weren't many compared to any of iraq's other recent wars. or civil wars, for that matter (200k shiites and 20k kurds killed since 1991).
get a viable non-state economy going, with some political representation for all groups, and you won't have tons of iraqi terrorists. get direct oil revenue accounts for all iraqis and it will be even better.
there aren't any iraqi kurdish terrorists to speak of, and aside from the sadr guys i don't see a lot of shiites going at it. the problem is the sunnis, and hey, it's a real problem, but i just don't see angry tikritis getting on a plane to boston to solve their woes.
i know this may seem pollyanna-ish, but it's only been six months since the invasion. let's see how we're doing a year from now.
- big jimmy 9-24-2003 6:43 am [add a comment]
I think it's different when a big foreign super power with a reputation for bullying comes in there and kills people. Look at Iran's anger for what we did in the 50s.
- steve 9-24-2003 6:50 am [add a comment]
true. but in the 50's we deposed a representative government, installed a dictator, and privatized the state-held oil industry.
in iraq, we've disposed a dictator, will install a (more) representative government, and...ok, so we're going to privatize oil again...but if we institute the personal oil revenue accounts i think it nets out pretty well for individual iraqis...as well as being a bulwark against another kleptocratic regime
- big jimmy 9-24-2003 9:07 am [add a comment]
Big Jimmy, you write as if the Clintons, Paul Berman & Co were in charge instead of the Khristian Kriminal Keystone Kops. According to this AP article the next installment of our tax dollars is going to fund Iraqi zip codes, an Atrocity Museum, and 30 million worth of English lessons. Your optimism is boundless that something good is going to emerge from the current American regime's efforts.
- tom moody 9-24-2003 9:52 am [add a comment]
The goal is much broader than privitizing oil. The Bushies want to reinvent the Iraqi economy. Having gone through the re-invention of the power utilities in CA at the hands of Gov. Pete Wilson (R), Ken Lay (R), El Paso Natural Gas (R), et al, the Iraqis have my deepest sympathy.
The Bushies plan to delay the automony of the people of Iraq until after the state-owned industries have been auctioned off to the highest bidders. Of course, the highest bidders won't be Iraqis, since they have precious little capital.
That's why they can't cut and run. The pillaging isn't finished yet.
- mark 9-25-2003 6:32 am [add a comment]