Posted on 08/12/2002 3:53:53 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
US may seize Arab airports by force to attack Iraq: report
Mon Aug 12 2002 14:19:02 ET
BEIRUT, Aug. 12 (Xinhua)--Lebanon received a report from diplomatic sources saying that the United States would seize by force several airports in Arab states when it launches a war against Iraq, the An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday.
The report said that US President George W. Bush would unleash the military offensive in January 2003 as he has to wait the outcome of the midterm elections of the Congress in November. ``Bush prefers to have Arab support for his war to remove Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the US forces would have facilities in several neighboring Arab airports,'' the report said.
''At any rate,'' it stressed, ``once zero hour comes, Bush will give the orders to use Arab airports by force for the military operation against Iraq if the need arises.'' Bush argued that without the US interference, the Arab countries, the Arab League and the UN Security Council would not have been able to oust the invading Iraqi troops from Kuwait in the 1991 Gulf War.
Meanwhile, the report revealed that the Bush administration has allowed Israel to strike back in the upcoming confrontation against Iraq if the Arab country fires Scud missiles at Israel like it did in 1991.
The report suggested that the Arab world should take the US war preparations against Iraq ``very seriously'' and recommended a diplomatic offensive by Lebanon to consolidate Pan-Arab camp.
Developing...
Thanks, but you have to die of something..
The place I launch my boat is a skeeter haven.
But if I took the time to worry about it then I would never leave the house.. IMO, everyone should feel the same way.
Just like "Terrorism" It kills me to see people change every facet of their lives because of a statistically insignifigant risk.
I think they are cheating themselves.
(Thanks though..)
And people wonder why we are hated throughout the world.
9-11 was a Saudi operation. What exactly happened to the Japanese after Pearl Harbor?
I'd write it as "KICK THEIR ASS AND GRAB THE GAS!".
It rhymes better, and whose gas it is is in some dispute, so I drop the "their gas" to simply "the gas".
"Wooing," as you would do, is what has earned us such contempt in the Muslim world.
Your politik is not especially real. Those we woo most respect us least.
Isn't that the point? Why would we bother wooing those who already respect us?
No, I'm afraid you've missed it.
Nations aren't suitors or brides-to-be, and "wooing" is specious.
We've wooed the Muslims for decades. We liberated Kuwait. We saved Saudi Arabia. We cast our lot with the Kosovars. They hate us more than ever.
Go to them yet again on bended knee, and they will spit in your face as they kill you.
Not really. Public diplomacy is tremendously important.
We've wooed the Muslims for decades. We liberated Kuwait. We saved Saudi Arabia. We cast our lot with the Kosovars. They hate us more than ever.
We haven't actually done so much for Muslims. What we have done, however, is to prop up authoritarian oppressive loonies like Shah Pahlavi, Suharto, the House of Saud, Saddam Hussein (during the eighties), Mubarak, etc., even Arafat. We need to send our message straight to ordinary Muslims, letting them know that we'll fight for Peace, Justice and the American Way (or was that God, Mom and Apple Pie?). You know why Iran is the closest the Middle East has come to a Muslim Democracy? Because we've piped in billions of dollars to prop up authoritarian regimes, and give them the weapons they use to oppress their people. Is it any wonder then, that they hate us?
We need to work to end our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, defund the corrupt despotisms, and work to establish our reputation.
At the same time, we shouldn't hesitate to bomb any terrorists or terrorist-supporting-regimes back to the stone age. Again - the carrot and the stick. Your approach - the carrot and the carrot - just leads to more unpleasantness and continued instability.
This is very interesting. Please explain.
Actually, this could be with the "consent" of the Arabs. If we "seize" the airports then they can claim that they are initially NOT supporting the overthrow of another Arab state. Of course, if SH is removed, then everyone would be happier????
If we handle Iraq correctly that point will be made decisively. Iraq could actually win the war on terror.I've been fumbling... you said it better.
Disagree here, though. No matter how decisive our victory over Iraq, if we stop there, we delay the inevitable.
I'm of the opinion that "War on Terror" is a misnomer.
I was too lazy to finish my thought. I meant an end to the WOT not the end of terrorism. Confused yet? lol IMO I think when the nations that have feared their extremists more than they fear the soft old United States, see a complete decapitation of Iraq's present power structure and the Eagle looks at them with blood dripping from it's talons and asks "do you get the message?" they will be far less likely to play cute with us from that point on.
The religion does not allow Muslims to deal with the infidel, the unclean, with heartfelt respect.
"We've wooed the Muslims for decades. We liberated Kuwait. We saved Saudi Arabia. We cast our lot with the Kosovars. They hate us more than ever.
"Go to them yet again on bended knee, and they will spit in your face as they kill you."
Bingaronio.
I'd have thought the "woo them" argument would have died a bit over a half century ago, when Chamberlain "wooed" Hitler.
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