chrisishardcore.com: Comment on Old boss...

Comments: Old boss...

Yes but can you counter the friends of Bush admin. argument that Iraqis resent those countries and their companies BECAUSE they worked in Iraq (with Saddam)?

Posted by Wes at December 9, 2003 10:56 PM

Not to mention the argument that it was precisely the French/Russian/etc involvement in Iraq which kept them from making the right choice: ousting Hussein.

Posted by zachary d smith at December 10, 2003 09:54 AM

Or US involvement in Iraq in the '80's when you could argue (if you wanted) that the USA had a legitimate reason to support Hussein (lesser of two evils when compared to Iran).

I'm not sure French/Russian involvement in the Iraqi economy kept it so stable that it prevented an overthrow of Hussein. At least for the last 12 years, after the Gulf War, Iraqis had been so demoralized by the failed coup during the Gulf War (at Bush's insistence) that they probably wouldn't have tried to overthrow a dictator for a generation, if at all. Plenty of other dictatorships that are comparably much less horrible don't see their dictators overthrown.

It seems in the developed world we overthrow dictators and everywhere else dictators overthrow democracy.

As far as the French and Russians go, it seems that if anything their corporations' expertise at working in the area would be valuable. Also, we're never going to get their troops to relieve the duties of our own if we treat them like this.

Posted by Chris at December 10, 2003 10:14 AM

Mr. Smith,

Are you contending that French oil companies kept the Iraqi people from rising up against Saddam themselves? My understanding is that things there were pretty unbearable as it was, and that it was mostly fear and the utter lack of belief in possible success that kept Iraqis from rising up, resulting form the experience Chris mentions and others. So is it that jobs for French companies made the Iraqis too fat and happy to want a revolution?

Or is it that the oil money kept Saddam well armed which kept the people down? Cause if it was that one, many countries bought more oil from Iraq under the sanctions than did France, Germany, Russia China, ect.

Chris,
The window has passed on getting French and Russian troops (barring a new president next year). There are other reasons to want those companies in though: If they outbid other companies US $s are saved (and while I don't expect to get the check in the mail that $$ could be used for other Iraqi reconstruction projects) It lessens the look of imperialism to Iraqis (friend and foe) and it would be a step in the right direction towards changing world opinion of the US occupation.

Posted by Wes at December 11, 2003 01:44 AM

"Mr. Smith,

Are you contending that French oil companies kept the Iraqi people from rising up against Saddam themselves?"

No, I'm not. My sentence was unclear. My contention is that the French, German, etc governments' decisions to not support an invasion were tainted by their financial involvement.

Then again, it's been said elsewhere that barring France/Germany/etc is not so much about punishing them as it is making it possible for allies such as Italy, the UK, etc to bid more "competitively" (heh) on a tilted playing field.

Posted by zachary d smith at December 11, 2003 10:03 AM

Well that makes a lot more sense. I don't agree with it 100% either (with Russia it was the money, with Germany it was principle, and with France it was money and resisting US hegemony) but it's a popluar argument that all countries behave in their economic interests and the rest is just rhetoric. It's hard to disprove.

Going forward though our best policy would be to invite business from any country, both to save US taxpayer $$$ (or recycle it into other Iraqi projects, I doubt the $20 billion is exessive) and to improve the coalition's political standing in Iraq while improving the US's standing in the world.

Posted by Wes at December 14, 2003 11:32 PM

Posted by Free Porn at August 5, 2004 06:33 AM

chrisishardcore.com

Comments: Old boss...

Post a comment