Middle East Countries Must Meet to Thwart U.S. Threats Against Region *NEWS ANALYSIS [Iran]

Tehran Times ^ | 8/19/02

[Ranger]

TEHRAN - The United States has warned Arab countries opposing its planned attack on Iraq that it will treat them as enemies if they continue their opposition, reported the London-based ***Al-Qods al-Arabi*** in its latest issue.

Some U.S. diplomats in the Middle East have conveyed the U.S. intimidating message to the countries concerned. The message reveals the fact that the United States intends to confront any country that fails to cooperate with it in its plan to attack Iraq.

Although the decision is not new in U.S. foreign policy, it gives added weight to concerns U.S. foreign policy is becoming more and more dictatorial. The dictatorial nature of U.S. foreign policy was first enunciated by President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks when he announced that those who do not join its war on terror are with the terrorists.

The approach is dangerous. Most European allies of the United States are not happy with it. The approach will definitely lead to a militarized international arena set to host another world war.

The U.S. may be able to pressure one or two weak countries, but if all these countries unite no amount of pressure from Washington will work. In the face of mounting U.S. threats, all Middle Eastern countries must unite to unanimously oppose the planned U.S. military attack on Iraq.

Foreign ministers of all Middle Eastern countries are called upon to seriously consider a united stance against the Iraqi issue and to unanimously oppose the planned attack on this Muslim country.

The same meeting must also encourage a greater and more active role for the United Nations and European Union toward settling the crisis through peaceful means.

The meeting must also pressure Iraq to cooperate with the United Nations to settle the crisis and remove any excuse for the U.S. to intervene militarily.

It is a fact that the U.S. puts pressure on weak countries in order to make them obey its wishes, but tomorrow it could be something else. Once it succeeds in reining in weak countries, it will set its eyes on stronger ones in order to achieve the same goals. When this happens, the ground will be prepared for bigger confrontations and, who knows, uncontrollable ones.

[Shermy]

In other words, need to keep Iraq under the sanctions regime in order to continue the suppression of competitive Iraqi oil production. Message - "we care."

[Mr. Lucky]

...Middle East Countries Must Meet...

If they could all meet in one place at the same time and be kind enough to send Mr. Rumsfield the coordinates, it would really help things along.

[Paleo Conservative]

Wouldn't be necessary. They all be at each others' throats within an hour.

[Paleo Conservative]

Correction:

Wouldn't be necessary. They would all be at each others' throats within an hour.

[andrew1957]

It is time now for the U.S. to be dictatorial. The Europeans will not act to save their own society. The weight is on our shoulders once again, unfortunately.

[metalbird1]

While many of you folks cheer on the beating
war drums & Bush does carte blanche threats
to the whole of the Middle East, understand
this: our Country is a sieve, not only
immigration-wise but undoubtedly numerous
countries already have sleeper agents here.
Our various infrastructures are as secure
as shooting fish in a barrel...power plants,
water supplies, the internet, you name it--
and not the least of which our citizens
directly through the use of any combination
of WMD--can any of you be naive enough to
believe NONE of those countries have any
of these and would not hesitate to use them
in response to attacks on their country?
Action will beget response, and I for one
do not have access to a well-stocked bunker.
Do you?

[SCHROLL]

And you'd prefer us to sit on our hands and do nothing ala Clinton? Sitting around doing nothing got us 9-11. These people already hate us and mean us great harm. Don't give me the simpleton solution of abandoning Israel either, it's not going to fly. Israel is their coveinent excuse, they hate everything to do with Western Culture. Their so called religion has embarked on conquering the world on other occasions, this is simply their latest attempt.

[metalbird1]

"And you'd prefer us to sit on our hands and do nothing ala Clinton?"

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And you'd, what, have us shape the world in our image...while, not coincidentally, put puppet governments
in place, a la Afghan--whose newly picked el presidente
was a Unocal lobbyist...Unocal being the erstwhile company lobbying for an oil/gas pipeline from the Caspian to Asia?
BTW, did you catch the post tonight about the record
Afghan opium crops? Must be our government has begun a
'war on drugs' there now, too.

---

"Sitting around doing nothing got us 9-11."

---

O really. Name me one connection of Iraq to 911.

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"These people already hate us and mean us great harm."

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They might not if we'd get out of their faces.

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"Don't give me the simpleton solution of abandoning Israel either, it's not going to fly."

---

Abandoning Israel? They're one of the top half-dozen
military mights in the world, on top of which they're
said to have weapons technology we don't have.

---

"Israel is their coveinent excuse, they hate everything to do with Western Culture."

---

That's h.s. from our ministry of propaganda. What many
there hate is our imposing our culture on them.

---

"Their so called religion has embarked on conquering the world on other occasions, this is simply their latest attempt."

---

An example or two might make your point believable, but
I believe you have it backwards...it was called
the Crusades.

[SCHROLL]

1. Given the present alternative of the dictatorships who not only foster the radical elements of Islam, but fund it, yes. So what if the guy was a lobbyist? The point is he's pro western and has been exposed to democracy and not a theocrat or dictator. Just how long has the new government there been in power? How long does it take to grow, harvest, and process the opium? Being in a different hemisphere, aren't their seasons at a different time of year than ours? Weren't the Taliban funding Al Queda using drug money?

2.The connection is Al Queda. Simple enough for you? We did nothing after the first WTC attack, nothing after Khobar, nothing after two embassy bombings, and nothing after the Cole, we cut and ran in Somalia. This only emboldened them. Recent reports have an Al Queda chemical weapons facility in of all places.....Iraq.

3.In case you haven't noticed, they got in our face 9-11. What are your suggestions? Say we're sorry? That we understand? it's all our fault? Is Isolationism your solution? Withdraw from the rest of the world and no one will bother us again?

4.22 to 1 odds may be great odds on a horse race, but not a war.

5.Where have we imposed our culture on them? Culture and political systems are two distinct things.

6.Try the Moors invasion of Southern Europe and the Ottoman Empire. You'll find in both cases they were Muslims.

[metalbird1]

1. Given the present alternative of the dictatorships who not only foster the radical elements of Islam, but fund it, yes. So what if the guy was a lobbyist? The point is he's pro western and has been exposed to democracy and not a theocrat or dictator.

---

Shall I name the dictators we've put in place?
Shah of Iran, Pinochet, Noriega, among others.

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"Just how long has the new government there been in power? How long does it take to grow, harvest, and process the opium? Being in a different hemisphere, aren't their seasons at a different time of year than ours?"

---

The Taliban allowed NO growing of opium.

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"Weren't the Taliban funding Al Queda using drug money?"

---

The CIA was funding bin Laden against the Russians.

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"2.The connection is Al Queda. Simple enough for you?"

---

There has been shown no connection whatsoever.

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"We did nothing after the first WTC attack,"

---

That was an FBI sting operation. The FBI informer
asked his handler, wouldn't it be advisable to
use dummy explosives? The FBI said, nah, go ahead
with it. This was reported in the LA Times, NY Times
& in wire service stories.

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"Recent reports have an Al Queda chemical weapons facility in of all places.....Iraq."

---

B.S. The Iraqis don't like them; neither does Iran.
BTW, did you know several of the hijackers had as
addresses on their driver's licenses Pensacola
Naval Base?

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"4.22 to 1 odds may be great odds on a horse race, but not a war."

---

You're immature. I thought I was talking with an adult.

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"Try the Moors invasion of Southern Europe and the Ottoman Empire. You'll find in both cases they were Muslims."

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See my above comment.