War or no war?

RE: War or no war?

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 24-01-03 AT 03:54 PM (GMT)]Yes, I am right behind the removal of Saddam Hussein and if that takes a war so be it. That feeling is quite prevalent amongst the lads I’ve spoken to in the Mob and the “Green Machine”.

This isnt for any magnificent reason such as to free the humble downtrodden masses in Iraq or even to put Iraq’s oil stocks back in to play on the world market (although that is important ofc – I, personally, dont want to see my petrol prices going back to £1 a litre and neither do any of you).

Simply put this is because Hussein has made a laughing stock of all of us. He, under the dubious belief he could annex a neighbouring resource-valuable state with impunity, got caught with his pants around his ankles when the coalition attacked in 1991 and was forced into surrendering. He made assurances to the coalition and the world community at large at that time that he would disarm his country, apart from those forces required for territorial integrity, and would accede to UN resolutions as levied against his country.

He’s now had 13 years worth of grace and has he abided by ANY of those surrender conditions? – no (apart from the fact that he’s not tried to invade anyone for a while of course – nice chap!). For the past three or four years in fact he’s been working tirelessly clandestinely to rebuild his forces to the highest readiness he can get them to. I take it many of you are familiar with Tom Coopers’ report over on ACIG regarding Yugoslav links with the Iraqi AF and Air Defence Command?.

Furthermore he’s clearly stated that the UN mandated no-fly zones are illegal, after accepting them as part of the ’91 surrender terms, and has made every effort to engage US and British combat aircraft engaged on UN-sponsored duties! Is this suddenly ok just because the jets are only USAF and RAF ones? Only a couple of days ago his forces brought down a Predator UAV in further direct contravention of the UN agreements he’s signed on to!

Essentially the man has had 13 years to put his house in order to be acceptable to the World Community – not just the US and UK and he has not done that. Where does the belief stem from that he’ll have a change of heart, see the error of his ways, and be a nice Mr Despot from here onwards?

Like it or not Hussein finds himself smack bang in the middle of a region essential to the world economy, this is why he’s being “unfairly” picked on when you consider the greater deviancies of the North Koreans or the equally despotic actions of the Mugabe’s of this world. Picture the scene where a desperate Hussein manages to reassemble his nerve-gas stocks and, has to hand a couple of carrier warheads for his remaining Scuds that – ho hum – just happened to have been overlooked on his accounting sheets. In order to have the issue of economic sanctions re-examined he threatens to dump a few tons of persistent nerve-agent over the larger Saudi oil installations. The world economy will go into a tailslide on the merest threat and that is the very least he could do if the status quo, including economic sanctions, is allowed to go on for the next 13 years.

In my opinion its best to deal with him while he’s relatively, compared to where he’ll be in a decade at current rates, weak and prepare to take him out while we have observers in-country that can provide some estimation of his ability to hit logistics areas and forming-up points in Kuwait before were ready to roll-in after him. Not very sporting, I admit, but then sporting means he has a chance and who the fu*k wants that?!

Steve

RE: War or no war?

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 24-01-03 AT 12:58 PM (GMT)]100% most definitely “non, Monsieur”.

1) Show us all the links between terrorism and Iraq. As I understand it Al Qaeda despise Saddam’s regime as much as we do, albeit for totally different reasons.
2) Does anybody (Israelis aside perhaps) feel threatened by Iraq. I certainly don’t. The threat is no greater now than in 1991.
3) Would invading Iraq lessen worldwide terrorism? Of course not: even more zealots would take up arms against apparent imperialism.
4) That a country which suffers 35,000 gun deaths per annum (and treats 100,000 for gun shot wounds p.a.) should appoint itself world “policeman” amazes me. More people die in a week in the USA by shooting than die in a year in the whole of western Europe. You’d think they had enough on their plate already.

I am not anti-American (I lived in San Diego for a year and loved it and also visit the USA regularly: last in May 2001) but I am totally against any invasion of Iraq.

Best regards

Steve

RE: War or no war?

Both the UK and America have servicemen and women prepared to give their lives in the service of their countries. It is doing them a grave disservice to expect them to give their lives on a whim.

One of the smartest remarks I heard so far.

RE: War or no war?

No! I don’t agree with the forthcoming war with Iraq. The simple reason is that I don’t perceive Saddam Hussein to be a credible threat to the west. Firstly, there is absolutely no proof yet that he has weapons of mass destruction. So let the weapons inspectors do their job. If they find conclusive proof then we may have to think again. America is said to ‘know’ he has weapons of mass destruction. OK. Show us the evidence. If you know the location of such weapons, neutralise them. America says that the forthcoming war will free the Iraqi people from their oppressive dictator. Can we really believe their motives are so altruistic? Help was promised after Desert Storm which failed to materialise.

The alleged link between Iraq and al-Qaeda is yet to be proven. In fact, Americas staunchest ally, Tony Blair, admitted on tv the other day that there is no evidence to support a direct or indirect link between Iraq and al-Qaeda.

Both the UK and America have servicemen and women prepared to give their lives in the service of their countries. It is doing them a grave disservice to expect them to give their lives on a whim.

Regards,

kev35

RE: War or no war?

No. Strongly against. (For the first time ever – I am definately no pacifist.)