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Spiffor
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CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Nov 2001
time: 06:32
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We're having very big financial trouble, and it's unlikely we'll make any commitment that would cost us significant money. Besides, we're trying to keep our "party discipline" with the Germans and the Russians, and thus I don't think we'd do anything too drastic in direction of the US.
OTOH, the Executive Life fraud (an old fraud from the French business against Californians) will cost millions to the taxpayer, and we're finally looking for an agreement with the American justice. So we will want to show a reconciliation.
The most plausible thing that'll happen, IMHO, will be some friendly symbol, that would look good on TV without costing a dime.
OTOH, if the US agrees to give us some reconstruction contracts, and oil-exploitation contracts, it is very possible we send troops there. But that's my old theory of "give us some loot and we'll come".
The price had risen when the death toll of US soldiers became high. It has probably lowered now that we can hope for a demoralization of the Iraqi guerilla.
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Bereta_Eder
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Maybe it will be like Germany where Shroeder won the elections, despite economic problems, by promising no action in Iraq.
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Dr Strangelove
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The ones most likely to do that are the very ones least likely to know who built it.
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Spiffor
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CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Nov 2001
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by skywalker
... come on, you know there had to be something going on, else why would they be so adamant about protecting him? |
Of course we dealt with him. We're the world's third weapon exporter after the US and Russia. It's obvious we have clients scattered around the world, and it's obvious we don't only have the nice kids on the block in our shop.
And you know what more incredible? You too!
Your country too had deals with the Saddam regime, if only because you cannot exactly act as if a 30 million inhab country didn't exist for 12 years, especially when it sits on a sea of oil.
To "discover" the deals between France and Saddam's Iraq will be about as interesting as to "discover" that Rumsie went all smiles to Saddam some 15 years ago. It feels dirty, but the whole international diplomacy is dirty.
One of the many reasons France rejected war so adamantly was that the Saddam regime had a huge debt towards us, and we feared his toppling would cancel the debt. In all their postwar handlings with France on the issue, the US and the Iraqi council raised the debt issue, threatening or announcing to cancel it.
There's a very simple reason why this debt is important (even for France, who cancelled many debts in the past). That's because the debt is huge. Before GulfWar1, we sold throngs of missiles and chemicals to Saddam, and even a nuclear reactor! Of course we want the money.
Is it dirty? Definitely, that's clearly nothing to be proud of. But then again, past the moralizing PR, nobody can be proud of anything in Iternational Relations.
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15-12-2003 02:49
France has no balls. I certainly hope Russia does.
That would be excellent for the international status of both nations if that could be arranged, and we could forget the past debate and work together to fix the Iraq situation. The French Foreign Legion are some of the best troops in the world and could definitely play a huge role in crushing these guerillas.
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