Uniting Jordan and Iraq Might Be Prime Post-War Strategy

STRATFOR ^ | 26 September 2002 | Staff

[seeker41]

Ping

[DainBramage]

But...wouldn't this give his majesty a big peace keeping role for the world? (/sarcasm)

[DainBramage]

Ha, sorry I didn't see you had pinged her already.

[seeker41]

No problem...

[Cicero]

Not a good idea. You don't make dangerous countries even bigger. The Iraquis are certain to resent it, and in the end are likely to come out on top.

[RightWhale]

Sure, give the desert to Jordan. No oil, no water. What a deal.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Fine, until the day Abdullah gets overthrown by his Palestinian majority. Then you're faced with Hamas having billions in oil reserves.

[sharktrager]

Won't happen. Jordan's playing for Washington this year. I just don't think he wants to play for Iraq.

[colorado tanker]

Umm hmm. Stratfor.

[alloysteel]

Interesting proposition. But for sure, don't turn control of the partitioned Iraq over to Syria. As for the benefits that could accrue to the Jordanians, well, pipelines and ports are part of the equation in transportation of oil. Getting the oil out of the ground is only part of the job.

[Man of the Right]

Very, very doubtful.

[Dark Wing]

ping

[Thud]

Deal if Saudi Arabia is thrown in. The Hashemites have scores to settle with the Wahhabis.

[Post Toasties]

I think this plan has possibilities. Jordan has an established, moderate, relatively forward looking government. And as long as the capital remains in Amman, it will strongly increase the incentive for the union to hold. Then, if Israel kicks out the Palestinians, they can mosey over to former Iraqi territory instead of overwhelming Jordan.

[BlackVeil]

Doubtful indeed. It says: "Iran may interfere by urging Iraqi Shias to join with Tehran ... " No "may" about it, they will move in that direction. And the sight of a new Persian empire will rouse Arab illfeeling, although I don't know if they could DO anything about it.

[meema]

Sounds JUST like something Wolfowitz and Cheney {Pearle & Libby} would come up with! These guys are playing with dynamite right on top of all that oil. Not to mention those millions of Muslims who hate us because of our Middle East Policy. It's scary that between their almighty egos, and Sharon/Likud's Plans to 'clean out' the 'Disputed Territories'. What better time than when our troops are in the middle of an Iraq War? Too many Israelis want ALL the land. The whole ME could blow up...and then nobody that's still alive will be happy.

I still have a hard time believing that our President has been captured by Sharon, Wolfowitz and Pearle. Not to mention Billy Kristol, et al.
Up until the Axis of evil, in the state of the union, I thought he had way more common sense than that...and then I still hoped and prayed. Until the West Point speech and the "Sharon is a man of Peace" right in the middle of bulldozing all those buildings.

I know that Isarel is in a terrible situation, but their elected gov'ts for the last 25 years have just made it worse.
I prefer Armegedan to come in our Lord's good time.

[Thinkin' Gal]

But uniting Jordan and Iraq under a Hashemite government may give Washington several strategic advantages. First, the creation of a new pro-U.S. kingdom under the half-American Abdullah...

Stratfor ought to pay more attention to detail. That's an unacceptable error. Well, at least people are trying to catch up. Maybe they've been digging in the FR archives, reading maps, or perhaps somebody stumbled upon...

Daniel 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

[norton]

Hold it!

Just who are "The Iraquis" ???

BJC didn't worry about "the yugoslavs" because they were really the Serbs, the Croats, and the Muslim boot lickers....

Why should anyone worry about "The Iraqis" when they are really the Kurds, the Shiites, and the Sunnis ??

[DainBramage]

Would this not him "King Of Babylon"?