Shek

Here's the report if you'd like to know who published it and where. In fact, the CTC is funded and endowed privately, unlike the Pentagon, which is taxpayer financed.

http://www.ctc.usma.edu/aq/Harmony%2...20--%20CTC.pdf

__________________
"So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

Ray

CIA

Nothing could be more mysterious than that.

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"Some have learnt many Tricks of sly Evasion, Instead of Truth they use Equivocation, And eke it out with mental Reservation, Which is to good Men an Abomination."

I don't have to attend every argument I'm invited to.

HAKUNA MATATA

Tronic

thanks... lol...

__________________
Nabha Sparasham Deeptam
-Touch The Sky With Glory

thunderous

Sorry have to add my two cents worth here:

An Iraqi friend once explained the situation

Saddam was cruel true, but there was no one else strong enough if Saddam was deposed who could keep the country together.

Saddam was an Atheist and did not believe in the Al-Queida philosphy. Infact, reportedly Bin-Laden wanted to wanted to move there and help Saddam. He was denied entry by Saddam.

While Saddam was cruel, Iraqi people were the most educated of the Arab lot. They had good hospitals, an excellent infrastructure but no political freedom.

Kuwait was actually drilling oil in a way that they would tap Iraqi resources.

Onto Iran:
Iran is playing games currently, one day it says it's not afraid of any nation the next when a deadline is due, it says we're listening! I think though that the Americans are playing a game here too. Let the Europeans sweat a bit, then when the Americans decide games are over Iran is gonna get it. The fact of the matter is that Iran is more of a threat to Europe than the US. (I will not state anything about Israel, as it's a know fact that Iran would like to wipe Israel off the world map).

The Iranians are deeply nationalistic, and the regime is playing up to the nationalism.

The reasons why Iran should be taken out?

1. It's goal - to wipe Israel off the world map
2. It's ability to play with sects and create problems in Iraq and Lebanon.
3. It's offer of nuclear technology to any Islamic nation interested.
4. It's support for terrorists:- proven by recent investigations by the SEC about certain bank transactions originating from Iran whereby money was sent to one of the Hijackers in the US.
5. If Iran really wants to use nuclear plants for peaceful purposes they would not have had a problem accepting the Russian offer.

Parihaka

I'm encouraged by Tronics bar-graph where the 74% in Iraq thought removing Sadam was a good thing to do, and as you say, of course they don't think they are currently better off.

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In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

Parihaka

Nor would they have any problems allowing the IAEA in to inspect all their plants. That's the most telling factor IMO

Shek

He sure made a big show of being a reborn Muslim following 1991 and added "Allah is Great" to the Iraqi flag. What one believes in and how one acts doesn't necessary equal the same thing.

The infrastructure sucked, which is why it still sucks today, and Iraqi people in general are not highly educated.

Do you care to explain instead of just make an assertion?

Thunderous,
While I think your Iraqi friend has you running down the wrong path a bit, I find your Iranian analysis pretty good and to the point.

Confed999

And what was it, 46% do think they're better off? That's better than the Bush polls here in the States.

__________________
No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

Parihaka

Ah! I knew it was all Bush's fault!

gunnut

One of Saddam's reasons to invade Kuwait was that Kuwait allegedly drilled sideways on their land to reach into Iraq for the oil underneath Iraqi soil. I have no idea if this was done. But it's a common technique used in oil industry to extract more oil from a single well head.

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"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

Shek

Thanks - was it ever proven or disproven?

Confed999

IIRC, proof never became a requirement. Both OPEC and the Arab League decided it was a non-issue, because everyone was doing it to everyone, and the range is rather short, around 8KM or so.

Shek

Thanks.

Parihaka

besides, the Rumaila oil field spans both countries. Iraq claimed total ownership of the field despite large areas of it being in both countries. The Rumaila field was the first area secured in their invasion of Kuwait.
Edit: sorry, infact only a small portion of the Rumaila oil field lies withing the boundaries of Kuwait, at least 95% lies within Iraq. Perhaps the Iraqis therefore claimed total ownership.
http://www.searchanddiscovery.net/do.../images/15.htm

Parihaka

LOL, infact that's a post 92 map, apparently.

Full text, interesting read.
http://www.merip.org/mer/mer223/223_pfeifer.html