eldar1011

Apparently, some Iraqis are making plans to run their own country, but this plan does not have the approval of the current American administration:

(from Iraq Opposition Plans Own Post-Saddam Government )


So, are you sure this is how America works?

BibleBelted

Gurdur, please.

We are having enough trouble coming to grips with our country's sordid present!

We're about to bring on THE END TIMES fighting over whether Superman can beat up Mighty Mouse or not - and meanwhile, our idiot Attorney General is clothing naked statues and imprisoning people for selling cigarette papers!

And have you seen this thread?

Texas takes lead as most totalitarian state

Skeptictank

I don't know. Go ask the Australian aboriginals. Or the NZ Maori. :-P

The technologically more advanced have always used their advantage to dispace the less developed. Ever since the first empires pushed back nomadic peoples. Don't get all touchy feely on me NOW.

Gurdur

No, they haven't.
Do you have anything better to offer than this boring nihilism ?

Optional

Chile has always been interesting to me, as an almost perfect case study of USA foreign policy in action. Specifically, the fact that the USA has NEVER really had any interest in 'spreading democracy' or 'liberating the people'. (Germany and Japan post WWII are exceptions to the rule. I hope. If they weren't, don't tell me, I like to keep my myths alive.) For anybody that doesn't know the story...

Chile had a democracy going, a fairly strong, robust democracy. However, it was looking like a president was about to be elected that was running under the communist party. He never intended to challenge democracy there, you understand. Democracy and Communism, contrary to popular belief, are NOT in fact mutually exclusive, the one being a governing philosophy and the other being an economic philosophy.

Anyway, the good old USofA decided that it would really not be in our best interests to have a pinko commie at the helm of Chile. We were thinking about the old tried and true method of fomenting a military rebellion, but darn the luck, the man in charge of the military was strongly committed to Chilean democracy and firmly opposed to the military taking any governing role, and all the troops were entirely loyal to him. SO, we hired some people to assassinate the guy. And we hired some people to overthrow the government.

Democracy was gone, the country turned into a dictatorship ... but it wasn't a COMMIE dictatorship, so we were well pleased.

My tax dollars at work, spreading misery and death around the globe.

-me

Majestyk

For the same reason I wouldn't steal the land of any culture I deem equal or superior to mine. Stealing is bad. People should deal with each other respectfuly and not thru force or the threat of force.

However it was the inhabitants of Hawaii that voted for statehood. Which is why I contrasted it against the treatment of the peoples that inhabited the continental U.S. during its expansion from coast to coast. Not that I take pride in it but, it was inevitable.

John Hancock

Majestyk

If stealing's bad. So how come you don't condemn Bush Inc.? Haliburton is incorporated of shore cheating average citizens out of 380 million last year and they're lined up for 1.5 billion in Iraq rebuilding work. Cheney is one of many in of many in the current administration adovcating only Brittish & USA rebuilding contracts and future oil contracts.

This war is about protecting the US population?

Martin Buber

markstake

When it's time to hold Iraq to the U.N. resolutions, few help out. When it's time to profit from rebuilding Iraq, everyone's in?

I support an international effort to rebuilding, but just the fact that there's an argument about this shows the greed inherent on both sides of the fence.

Two sides:
1) The U.S. wants the contracts, and why not? Countries not pitching in are not incurring the costs of the war, and are standing aside, neither helping nor hindering. Until it's time for a profit to be made!

2) Germany wants contracts, and why not? While opposed to the war they are interested in seeing Iraq rebuilt right and want a voice in the "new" Iraq, and to make sure the U.S. doesn't establish and maintain control of a post-war Iraq.

The capitalist in me says give the jobs to the contractors who provide the best price for quality work, regardless of the nation. But that's just me.