24-12-2002 03:22									#61
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So it is proven that having all the information available can still be preempted by selective information planting.

1. If you go back in history, the reason that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the emirates and so on exist is not that there is any national identity, but that Britain conveniently split up the middle east among it's arab allies. The "sovereignty" of Kuwait is at best questionable. Plus all these states are monarchies and not the type of monarchies that americans would like to live in. With this contradiction, thinking that the US can pull all troops out is unrealistic.

2. Iraq, with all of its contradictions, is one of the last strong lay states in the arab world (especially after the change of tides in Turkey)... Who exactly does the US think will be strengthened by this? Just give those Wahabbites a good excuse to topple the Sauds, if you ask me. As a lay state, Hussein has many enemies in the arab world - especially people like OBL. "He will give him the nuke because he is arab" or "he will give him the nuke because they both don't like the US" is like saying that South Korea would have given North Korea the nuke because neither likes Japan or they are both the same ethnicity. And if the Saudis have beef at home, they would never accept an infidel like Hussein as a leader.

3. If Israel had respected the UN resolutions that created the state, this discussion would be quite different. (Hey, how come nobody is questioning their non-compliance?) As long as OBL and Hamaz and Hizbullah and all those nuts can point to Israel and say "what they are doing is illegal, immoral, etc. etc. and the US is helping them," they can continue this terrorist war. But if even by our own measures, what Israel is doing is illegal and immoral, we will have a hard time arguing with them.

4. The empire idea does not work. Military technology is overrated. Europe learned, recall when Miterrand (if I recall correctly) chastized the US for intervening in their former colony, Vietnam. Think of WWII, too. For all their technology, the germans could not win over the russians. Hard to argue with millions of people willing to die to keep you out of their town. Same goes for Vietnam.

5. America's right to look out for themselves ends where everyone elses right to look out for themselves starts. No brainer here. But America insists on being the bully of the world, and when kids finally gang up on the bully, they generally overdo it.