[blanknoone]

I don't care what the Paris club says, nor about the "Odious" doctrine. I think the new Iraqi government should look at the debts, and what they were used for. If they feel it was legitimately used for a proper government function, they should honor it. If it wasn't (to include the arms used to repress them...ie Russia's tanks) then they should default on it. They don't need anyone's permission...just refuse to pay them back. Heck, the Russians defaulted on some of their debt fairly recently, and the Soviets defaulted on the Czarist debt.

[Stingray51]

Yes, the Russian example is misplaced. They did not repudiate their debt in 1991. Instead, they borrowed more and more Western money before devaluing and defaulting in 1998.

[headsonpikes]

As you say, the new Iraqi government won't need anyone's permission to repudiate those odious debts.

Chiraq and his cronies can suckez la air!