[longtermmemmory]

kofi realizes he better go with the united states or he will loose the "measly" 20 BILLION in the oil for food program.

Following france is a prescription for disaster.

If we want to neutralize the threat of the French and Germans, we need to diminish the value of the Euro as an international standard.

In this world the international language is english and the international currency of transactions is the US Dollar.

[Nagilum]

I agree completely. I have always thought that personally when this is all over with, we attempt to introduce legislation to bring the countries that had material contributions (UK, Australia, and Poland) into our free trade zone.

None of these are Euro countries. And creating this massive economic zone would undoubtedly hugely undermine the EU and the Euro. Britain, the only EU country not to sign up for the Euro, doesn't get hurt as its economy is still in the very strong GPB.

[Drammach]

Seems to me, once the Hussein / Baath regime has ended, the U.N. Sanctions no longer apply.
Those sanctions applied to the prior government, not the New Government.

The U.N. would no longer be able to siphon off $20 billion a year in "Oil for Food" ( re; Oil for Graft ) money.
Why should the New Free Iraq pay a U.N. middle man to buy food and medicine when they can buy it themselves?

[polemikos]

If we want to neutralize the threat of the French and Germans, we need to diminish the value of the Euro as an international standard.

The Eurocrats will take care of that for us. Not to worry.;-)