Regardless of how you _feel_ about the activity going on in the middle east
and other areas, i think it's fair to say there's going to be a big mess
ahead. Some argue that WW3 is already upon us, and i think it's be interesting
to have an item which watches events around the world, how they are connected,
and how they are shaping history. it would be great to avoid the pro-this,
anti-this discussion and have a more objective one since there's already a
thread for that kind of stuff.

11 responses total.

        
Iraqi army still preparing for "liberation of Palestine": minister

April 06, 2002, 11:16 AM

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The Iraqi army is continuing its preparations to "liberate
Palestine", Iraq's Defence Minister General Sultan Hasim Ahmad said. 

"The armed forces will be the cutting swords in the liberation of our
territories in Palestine, including Jerusalem, usurped by the Zionists," the
general said in a telegram to President Saddam Hussein on the occasion of the
55th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Baath party. 

The army "is continuing its training and its mission is facing up to the
forces of evil and oppression, represented by criminal America and its odious
Zionist ally." 

Iraq has rallied to defend the Palestinian cause, announcing in the early days
of the 18-month-old Palestinian uprising the mobilisation of 6.5 million
volunteers for the "liberation of Palestine." 

Baghdad, which has been under a UN embargo since its 1990 invasion of
neighboring Kuwait, has also pledged an assistance of one billion euros
(around 900 million dollars) for the Palestinians. 

Separately, Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz told a five-day forum of Iraqi
emigres in Baghdad of the need to step up pro-Palestinian campaigns to counter
the Zionist lobby. 

Aziz called on the 1,000 participants in the seventh such conference to "face
up to the lying and tendentious campaign launched by the Zionist lobby against
the just causes of Iraq and Palestine. 

"You must step up campaigns and increase pro-Palestinian activities to counter
pressure from the Zionist lobby." 

The emigres conference was launched after the 1991 Gulf War to examine ways
in which Iraqis living overseas -- estimated at around three million -- could
help lift the embargo slapped on Iraq for invading Kuwait in 1990. 

http://www.arabia.com/afp/news/mideast/article/english/0,10846,176093,00.ht
ml

Someone needs to dose everyone in the middle east with a bit of valium. It
might help. 

Hussein is showing himself to be a shameless opportunist.  He doesn't 
give a damn about Palestinians, and never has.

.. makes things hairy, don't it..

Personally, I'm enjoying watching Bush try to squirm his way out of a 
position which will ultimately force him to make a politically unpopular 
move.  He's going to end up doing at least one of three things: piss off 
the supporters of Israel, who comprise a fairly influential constituency; 
cause the Arab world to squeeze the flow of oil just enough to make 
Americans feel it, which will make Bush very unpopular very quickly, or; 
straddle the issue and end up looking totally ineffective and impotent in 
world affairs.

The key to bigger war avoidance is whether or not the large countries arrive
at some sort of agreement before moving in.  If the US just plunges in, other
powers might get a bit upset, and then we have problems.  If we get some sort
of agreement on action from Russia, China, and a few others, the whole
situation will dissolve in a hurry.

> If we get some sort of agreement on action from Russia, China, and a 
> few others, the whole situation will dissolve in a hurry.

How was that again?  

israel is doing arafat's job for him and the con man's game is
about up. but then, arafat was never in a position to DO the job/work
he pormised (soooo many times) to do vis-a-vis 'terrorists.'
  
if iraq starts marcing west, there will be big trouble. absent that,
this will percolate but simmer down - for the momnet.

I think a major oil embargo is unlikely at the moment.  Most OPEC 
member countries have done a really poor job investing their oil 
revenues, with the result that they're basically "living paycheck to 
paycheck", dependent on that steady stream of income to keep themselves 
afloat.  If they staged an embargo they'd be sawing off the branch 
they're sitting on.

there's already been a stop on oil importing to israel and (i believe) the
US

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1041-2002Apr5.html

Oil Embargo Effort Against Israel
By Mariam Fam
Associated Press Writer
Friday, April 5, 2002

CAIRO, Egypt  Iran on Friday became the second OPEC country to call for an
oil embargo against Israel's allies....

OPEC secretary-general Ali Rodriguez told Dow Jones Newswires an oil embargo
would counter the organization's goal of promoting a secure oil supply and
stable prices.

Rodriguez also said through a spokesman that OPEC has not received any member
proposal for an oil embargo against nations sympathetic to Israel.

...Oil analysts said an embargo would be ineffective. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
would have to participate for it to be successful and both have signaled they
would not join such a boycott.

Also, non-OPEC producers such as Russia, Mexico and Norway likely would pump
more oil to cover any supply shortage, analysts said.

OPEC and other major oil exporters pledged in November 2000 not to use oil
as a political weapon, although Iraq did not attend that meeting.

[Israel does not receive oil from Iran or Iraq.]

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