From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Tue Feb 25 2003 - 23:52:47 MST
Mike Lorrey writes
> --- Lee Corbin <lcorbin@tsoft.com> wrote:
> > sometimes countries just do this, e.g., the U.S. is right
> > now throwing its weight around with regard to countries
> > like Iraq and North Korea, telling them what weapons they
> > may or may not possess.
>
> Actually, it is the UN and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which
> tells Iraq and North Korea what weapons they can and cannot possess.
I stand corrected.
> Like North Korea, Iraq is trying to make the whole issue look like it
> is being bullied by the US, when we are simply enforcing UN resolutions
> that date back to 1990, and to the cease fire agreement that Saddam
> signed in 1991 WITH THE UN. It is not our fault if some countries are
> moral cowards and are sabotaging the effectiveness of the UN for their
> own commercial enrichment (i.e. France, Germany, and Russia in their
> business relations with Saddam).
France and Germany could have secondary motives as well; moving
towards a united EU that would be a bigger player on the world
stage. But if you are right about this---and I do recall reports
about France's being owed a lot of money by Hussein---then that
would be a primary motive.
> It is not we who are throwing our weight around, it is France and
> Germany that are doing so, trying to establish an imperial Europe under
> their rule that has one rule: oppose or sabotage the US in any way
> possible and make a buck however they can.
Yes, my way was another way of saying the same thing.
> It is France and Germany who are throwing their weight around
> and destroying the international system for their own profit.
> They claim it is about oil, and they are right, oil that they
> want to keep for themselves and for their own profit, at prices
> that will continue to lavishly finance their social welfare states.
You have mentioned this intriguing hypothesis before. But
if the worldwide price of oil fell following resumption
of Iraq's fields to full production, then countries financing
their welfare schemes through gas taxes could, I would think,
simply turn to their constituents and proclaim that although
the sales price was going down, taxes needed to be raised to
compensate. What's wrong with that?
Lee
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