What is *your* solution for dealing with Iraq?
 

Much of the touted rationale for going to war against Iraq is laughable. Personally, there's a lot of other countries I see as a greater threat to the west than Iraq. Iraq is secular. Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, et al, are not.

However....The bottom line is that:

After losing the 1991 Persian Gulf War, Iraq promised to destroy its weapons of "mass destruction." The inspectors' job is to make sure Iraq keeps its word. Over the past 13 years, Saddam has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with the inspectors and the world, even expelling inspectors. If he really has nothing to hide wouldn't it make sense for him to open his kimino, cooperate and allow inspections to go on unobstructed? Wouldn't it be in his interest to once and for all prove he doesn't have WMDs by offering his full cooperation?

If inspections haven't worked for 13 years, what makes us think they'll work now? How long should we allow this cat and mouse game to go on? If force isn't the answer, than what is?

I just want bang bang bang!

Paint the sand RED for Jesus.

Which is why they'll make a great democracy. It's a building block, many of the other kingdoms fear a democratic Iraq.

I wonder why??

I'd like to also hear from some peepz who voice vehement opposition to using force in Iraq. The doves are eloquent in finding reasons why we shouldn't use force, but I've heard no cogent alternative. What is a viable alternative to force given 13 years of off and on inspections not working.


????

What is *your* solution for dealing with Iraq?

CARPET BOMBING

We have a lot more serious problems in the counrty. We could stomp Iraq in three hours if they every got out of line.

Meanwhile... the emonomy is going to hell in a handbasket all due to the unrest our goverment is creating right now.

So let me make sure I understand your position: ignore the problem?

You won't hear from them becuase they have no alternatives. All they like to do is state what we souldn't do and what they end result should be (ousting Sadam without force). They never give the details of how to get there, they just state where they would like to be.

More appropriately the ostrich solution.

Saddam is nothing, he's not relevant to the United States or any of it's problems. We have no business being there. He is a whipping boy for the last three Presidents and is being used as a distraction from our own problems.

Our army needs to pull the fuck out of the desert and create a democracy in Florida, site of the American coup d' etat

as far as everyone who equates warmongering and jingoism with being a good american, you're nothing new.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

1918 Teddy Roosevelt

Part of the reason your country's economy is in deep shit is the insecurity of the world. Investors do not want to invest in an economy that can be toppled down by planes or chimical and biological agents or worse.
Iraq is part of that problem - like it or not.
9/11 had a devastating effect on the world's economy and saying/thinking 9/11 and terrorism as a whole has nothing to do with Iraq (and as noted Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, N.Korea and others) is not right.
As to Iraq maybe not the biggest threat, even if that is right, who said the right strategy must be one where you start with the biggest threat? Maybe its better to start weeding the surroundings before attacking the main evil? maybe its better to show the bigger therats that its better to change their ways by proving the motivations on the easier (but still bad enough targets)
I personally think that Iraq is indeed more dangerous in some aspects (regime wise) but less in others (the people there are more educated and even if muslim, the younger generation is looking for a change even though not in the form of full democracy which does not work well in a muslim society)

Did dig pull the crayon from his nose?

Again...solution???


Solution:
"Our army needs to pull the fuck out of the desert..." = do nothing...ignore the problem...

Stop reciting 12y/o demonstrators.
Have you read intelligence reports about Saddam?
Have you read the history of the middle-east and the power/threat saddam has over his neighbors?
Do you know the effect that the middle-east has on the American economy?
Did you hear about the issue of terrorism? Did you hear about 9/11?
Maybe you should think first and then decide if the US really has nothing to do there and if "Saddam is nothing" and "not relevant"?

The issue of terrorism has brought about a need for a cohesive long-term strategy for the Middle East.

That includes Syria, Israel (yes Israel), Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran.

Guess where we are setting up our next base of operations for the next 50 years?

Let's stop this lobbying shit about war and oil and future $$$ and smoke some iraqi weed together. :glugglug

Saddam has NOTHING TO DO WITH US!! He had NOTHING to do with 9-11 and we STILL don't have Bin Laden in custody.

you might as well be wringing your hands and demanding to go to war with Zaire. 'oh oh what's he's doing to his poor people, oh boo fucking hoo hoo'

we don't care about his people. we're there for oil. if you want to swap american blood and billions of american tax for cheap oil in the near future, fine. I don't agree with it, but at least you're not deluding yourself.

Yep. Israel has alot of palestinian terrorists in it. Also many of them are paid by Iraq and Iran, backed by Syria and come from Lebannon. Some infiltrate from Egypt and jordan. I understand what you mean what you say "yes, Israel" now. :thumbsup
Just ask yourself Mr. where you get alot of the so precious intelligence reports that keep your life so safe and warm infront of the keyboard.
Let me guess...
Israel, Jordan, Turkey Kuwait, Saudi-arabia(though this one not for long).. Thats what you meant? :Graucho

what's the solution for China, Jeremy, what's the solution for Zimbabwe? who the fuck cares?

I'm more interested in the solution for our flagging economy and stopping the rise of the police state. I'm far more interested in keeping my 4th Amendment right to privacy and making sure there's still a democracy in my OWN country for my kids to grow up in (if I ever have any).

all you super patriots who just can't wait to give up all your individual rights to the government make me want to retch.

And what would comprise that cohesive long-term strategy?

A cohesive long-term strategy might be:

1) Topple mideastern dictator i.e. Saddam
2) Liberate and democratize already secular mideast nation i.e. Iraq
3) Establish Iraq as model for mideast democracy

Chances for this to work in Iraq are far more likely than nearly any other mideastern country b/c it is a secular nation, with an infrastructure, natural resources (yes, oil), and substantial literate and intellectual class.

After the Persian Gulf war, something like 21 out of 24 Iraqi provinces revolted (at U.S. urging), only to ultimately be crushed by Saddam thanks to us not supporting the uprising.

Historically, most of the angst in the middle east was directed against the peoples' own governments and leaders. Since the 70s this has turned increasingly against the west since we've supported many of these authoritarian regimes. It's about time we truly brought reform to the middle east, and unfortunately appeasement will not often work.

I see your a real expert about international terrorism and economics!
Lets try explaining things in terms you relate to:
You do porn stuff. for money right? meaning you want people to pay for the things you do or promote. right? You want these people to take out money they have and give it to you. right?
So you need them to have enough money so they can spare some on online porn - right?
So you need them to earn some. right? so they need a job. true?For that they need a stable economy and personal safety. see? For that they need not only the temporary illusion of safety. you know what I mean? Cause for companies and factories and export and import you need some degree of safety. see?

Can you now see how "Saddam has SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOU???" or not yet?

I'll tell you who cares: The people who make sure you can sit home selling porn and bitching abou stuff you do not know enough about.

It's about time we truly brought reform to the middle east, and unfortunately appeasement will not often work.
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yep, syria, saudi arabia, iraq, iran, kuwait, oman, they're really going to appreciate us bombing the shit out of them and starving them to bring democracy to them. They'll be BIG FUCKING FANS!!!

Thats too far fetched man :1orglaugh :1orglaugh
But the direction you are at is correct.
(PS. There is already one, single, isolated democracy in the middleeast btw but n/m that now..)

First you have no plans to bomb kuwait and saudi arabia. for now you also have no plans regarding syria, iran and the others.
You start with Iraq, maybe the others will be dealt with another way.
Second - you are misinformed. People of Iraq are already starving. Maybe they will appriciate like the people in Afghanistan some freedom and maybe a hope for future with some food involved
Third - Why do you care about them being or not being fans of yours whe most of them are your enemies at the moment anyway?
Do you read what I write? Do you check your facts? Do some stufy about the region and the politics of the middleeast first.

For that they need a stable economy and personal safety. see?
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free clue for you, XXX:

Saddam has NOTHING to do with our economy and personal safety, and invading foreign nations for no reason is going to MAKE many more enemies than we can kill. You think we can just nuke the entire middle east out of existence? Kill every Muslim in the world?

you wanna talk about Saddam taking away my right to make porn? who do you think is more likely to care about me making porn, Saddam Hussein and Yassir Arafat or George Bush and John Ashhahahahaha? who is the REAL threat to my freedom?

what's more likely to undermine confidence in our economy: the existence of a mustachioed dictator on the other side of the world who can't even feed his people or the worldwide perception that our government is run by a moron with imperialistic leanings?

Third - Why do you care about them being or not being fans of yours whe most of them are your enemies at the moment anyway?
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here's why:

http://www.civil.usyd.edu.au/wtc_collapse1.jpg

The solution is so obvious. BIG drops of good qualtity marijuana throughout Iraq. If more of the US politicians smoked it too no more war!

You need to relax and think before you post.
You don't know much about economy - other wise you would have realized the effects of Saddam and the ME on US and world economy.
You don't know much about security/threats/terror otherwise you would understand the threat Saddam, the ME and other insane regimes have over you.
You don't know much about politics or the ME or Iraq - otherwise you would not state this useless remark about a "poor dictator that can't feed his people"
You basically don't know enough about the situation to form a "defendable" coherent opinion. Thats the problems with most protestors.
You have a clear opinion which is based on lack of knowladge. You will learn in time that you were wrong about alot of the assumptions you have. Fortnatelly until then - people who knows more than you will call the shots regardless of your misguided and unfocused objection.

I value their activism and practice of democracy and embrace it. That does not mean I have to like it or agree with it.

If anything - that proves my point rather than yours.
Some threats hit you in the face even if you DON'T "run around bombing countries".

XXX, when you learn how to spell, go look up 'fascism' in the dictionary. after that, you can read up on Vietnam, and then go look at pictures of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden and verify that they are two different people with completely opposite and diametrically opposed ideologies.

THEN you can come back here and tell me how stupid I am.

People thought it was far-fetched that the free market would make it to Eastern Europe. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No. Because infrastructure, academia, resources already exist in Iraq, it will likely prove far easier than Afghanistan to sustain post-war.

When you learn to speak and write in Hebrew as wekk as I do with english I will pay attention to you.
Only dumbass would divert a discussion he realized he has nothing to say or contribute to - to irellevant issues like language and spelling.

EXACTLY!!

He is not even close to being a threat to us at all. Not even for a minute.


Why not? We seem to be ignoring our problems here at home. The weaking of the dollar.. The stock market, which hangs on every new report. The sky rocketing fuel cost. Our personal freedoms being sucked away by the very goverement that we elect to protect our freedoms.

Most all of this is due the the uncertainty our goverement is creating regarding the Iraq issue.

I voted for the cowboy and I have voted in every election for the republican party since 1981. My political views are changing every day that man stays in office.

I actually meant that its far-fetched thinking it will become THE model for a democracy in the middle-east. Even if Iraq turns into a participatory regime it will be far from a role model for a democracy. There is a big problem to combine Islam and Democracy. If anything, there probably should be a new kind of governing model - atleast at first until "popular" Islam modifies and updates itself for the modern times.

ANOTHER free clue for you:

America attacking the Middle East is the worst thing that could happen for Israel, there will NEVER be peace for you. Instead we'll create so much enmity that it'll take generations to dissipate and Israel will bear the brunt of it. The only way to have peace in the Middle East is for Israel to continue the process it has already begun, becoming the most important trading partner in the region and becoming indispensable to the regional economy. $$ talks.

The last thing Israel needs is more hatred from Muslims and the U.S. giving them a REAL reason to attack you.

MUHAHAHAHA. You dont see how funny what you are saying is?

XXXManager, you haven't made a single point that hasn't been shot to pieces, and you keep telling everybody else they're stupid.

have you been reading this thread while you're posting in it?

True...

Also, I should clarify. There aleady is a model for democracy in the middle east: it's called Israel. But, it will be a long time before Israel's western-style democracy could exist in a muslim country. I'm thinking more along the lines of Turkey, but more democratic.