Posted on 04/07/2006 7:35:00 AM PDT by LSUfan
The recent announcement of the merger of Lucent and Alcatel, two telecommunications titans, has been heralded in financial circles as a positive development.
However, there is a little-known aspect of Alcatel's business that should make Americans uncomfortable with this new arrangement.
Alcatel does a considerable amount of business with countries on our State Department's list of terrorist-sponsoring nations, including Iran and Sudan. Worst of all, the services and products that Alcatel provides to Iran can, at least indirectly, help that nation's military capability. Among its activities in Iran that have relevance to Tehran's military and terrorism-related activities are contracts signed with state-controlled Iranian companies to provide data transmission and switching network capabilities. The contracts have reportedly included provisions of hardware, software, technologies and training to Iranian companies. It likewise is installing an undersea telecommunications cable for Iran.
In case you are wondering how Alcatel's projects with the Ayatollahs could enhance their military capability, consider that, according to the September 5th 2001 edition of The Washington Post, during the Saddam Hussein regime, Alcatel did similar work for Iraq and the U.S. government publicly expressed concerns that the project would advance Iraqi military capability--and potentially cost American lives.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldtribune.com ...
This is news? How many countries, including the USA, have been doing business with terrorist-supporting nations for a very long time -- and how about China?? Who does NOT do business with one of the worst communist, human-oppressing countries on the face of the earth? So does that reality not make this article a bit of a joke ???
The world community, especially the Europeans, do not want the U.S. to trade with any other country. They want exclusivity to world trade.
Not if you actually READ the friggin' article. And pay attention to the news.
If you think that a company providing high tech to Iran is a "joke" then you sir are definitely part of the problem.
You are right.
China and Russia are two if Iran's bigger petroleum customers today. If Iran had wanted to BUY nukes they could have and still can, from China and Russia.
Russia befriended both Iraq and Iran a long time ago. China is friends with everyone.
Both China and Russia have communist, human-oppressing human rights history that make Iran and Iraq look positively Swedish.
It's always been a toss-up as to who the bigger mass murderer was....of their own people: Stalin and company or Mao and company. I think China wins the "honor"....especially, yes, especially since they are STILL communist, human-oppressing and human rights abusers.
I wonder why we continue to forget that and focus so much on Iran? I grew up during the Cold War era and remember the terror of the commies, with the USSR and China leading the parade of terrorism. World domination was, is and always will be the commie goal.
UBL and Muslim terrorism will dissipate, especially when he is captured, killed or dies; he's an outlaw and abberation, as are all terrorists. Even the Palestinian terrorists are contained in their civil war against only Israel.
Communism is a national institution, embedded into a country in all areas. The Cold War cost us TRILLION$...and that was a friggin' ton of money in the 50's, 60's and 70's.
If you think that a company providing high tech to Iran is a "joke" then you sir are definitely part of the problem.
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You are out of line and out of context. As far as I am concerned, any country that panders (does business with) terrorists, communists or other scum of the earth, is equally bad. You might want to READ my response again -- I certainly was NOT approving of Alcatel-Lucents actions at all -- criticizing the fact that this practice, as noted above, is quite common today such that this article is no profound discovery. Get it ??
"UBL and Muslim terrorism will dissipate, especially when he is captured, killed or dies; he's an outlaw and abberation, as are all terrorists."
If you really believe this, you need to study more about radical Islam, wahhabism, Hezbollah, and the theocracy in Tehran.
At the time of the Iranian revolution I saw an interview with some Iranian official. The reporter asked, "How will Iran keep up its air force (planes made in the US) with the embargo on spare parts decreed by Carter?"
The official answered,"We are talking about US business here. There will be no problem. It will just cost more."
Except for "Ther will be no problem," the quotes are paraphrased, but the gist is correct.
"This is news? How many countries, including the USA, have been doing business with terrorist-supporting nations for a very long time -- and how about China?? Who does NOT do business with one of the worst communist, human-oppressing countries on the face of the earth? So does that reality not make this article a bit of a joke ???"
You are absolutely right! There are probably hundreds of thousands of businesses big and small that deal with China and all other kinds of dictatorships. I think it all ought to be illegal to do so. But, we wouldn't want to miss out on the global economy.
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