Saudi Arabia real reason for invasion: analyst

[rooboy]

Forget Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The real reason the United States invaded Iraq was Saudi Arabia, according to a US intelligence analyst.

Dr George Friedman, chairman of the United States private sector intelligence company Stratfor, said the US had settled on WMD as a simple justification for the war and one which it expected the public would readily accept.

Dr Friedman, in Australia on a business trip, said the US administration never wanted to explain the complex reasons for invading Iraq, keeping them from both the public and their closest supporters.

"That, primarily, was the fact that Saudi Arabia was facilitating the transfer of funds to al-Qaeda, was refusing to cooperate with the US and believed in its heart of hearts that the US would never take any action against them," he said.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/03/1080941715525.html

[smartass]

1. Isn't the Bush family and the Saudi royal family best chums?

Soesn't the honorable James Baker represent the Saudis int e 9/11 widows lawsuit against the Saudis?

So, I don't believe it. I think the war is about oil and power.

[EdGy]

12. You've GOTTA read Unger's "House of Bush House of Saud"

here's the concluding words:

"Never before has an American president been so closely tied to a foreign power that harbors and supports our country's mortal enemies."

This book is great, it shows in great detail how the personal greed and powermongering of the Bush family and their hangers-on led them to look the other way when it came to the threat posed by the actions ideology and inactions of the House of Saud.

The Bushes have put their own personal interest ahead of the security and well being of the United States.

[leftofthedial]

32. like granfather, like grandson

Nazis, terrorists . . .

all the same to the bushgang

[AGD4y2357y]

17. Are you saying Bush has some kind of honor/loyalty?

He would stab anyone in the back. If he thinks he needs to take out the Saudis, and that it would help HIM, then that's what he will do. Do you really think he is going to say "Oh wow. If I took out my Saudi friends that would help me. Oh no, I'd feel guilty though. I guess I won't."

Anyone who thinks this is about oil is naive IMO. These people have big plans for the middle east. I have believed from the start Iraq was strategic only. PNAC would essentially mandate it, and they move out from there. Oil? Yea, they'll take it. But it's just a perk, not the entire agenda.

It's like saying the Nazis were after natural resources. Did they use the resources of conquered nations? Of course. Was that the main nazi agenda? Not bloody likely.

[The Backlash Cometh]

18. Exactly.

If this article is true, Jim Baker is a traitor to this country.

[leetrisck]

2. And bush family closeness to Bin Laden

family and the Saudi Royal Family - Prince Bandar like a family member - he's out there again in the last few days on gas prices - we'll probably see lots more of him in next few weeks - helped get the bin laden's and members of royal family out of this country after Sept 11

[smartass]

4. Saudis financed and bailed out Dubya on three different failed

oil ventures at the tune of 1.4 billion dollars.

[tkmorris]

3. Wait

So we invaded Iraq for no other reason than to put pressure on the Saudis? The Bush admin wanted to pressure the Saudis? BUSH? Who walked hand in hand (literally) with the Saudi royal family?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Oh man this is too funny. The things those spin doctors come up with, sheesh.

[ima_sinnic]

5. this guy sounds like a phony "whistleblower," planted to counter

the real whistleblowers. what he is saying is so convoluted it makes no sense at all.

duh--the yellow-bellied hypocrite cowards surrendered to the backers of al Qaeda by withdrawing from their country--something that was public knowledge and the RW gasbags seemed to have ingnored in their cowlike obeisance to their swaggering Emperor-With-No-Clothes--and don't forget Duhbya's kissy-feely meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister after that terrorist financier was so righteously indignated over the "implication" that those missing 28 pages (remember THEM??) might point to Saudi Arabia--remember that closed-door meeting? why the fuck are the media and the public so goddam blind and polite to the blatant truth in front of their eyes?? HELLO--Saudi Arabia has no doubt been complicit in this invasion of Iraq--after all, it furthers their ends, too, of mobilizing support for al Qaeda like nothing else while at the same time "liberating" that oil for their benefit also.

[smartass]

6. Media has no balls. Christine Ammonopour of CNN put it best

when she said that reporters were scared that they would lose access to WH if they criticised Shrub.

[saigon68]

10. Fuck him---- who cares what he says anyway

He's not talking anyway--- Its Presdent Cheney, speaking through his Clueless Sock-Puppet front man

[yltlatl]

14. Aye

There's so much interesting stuff in Clarke's book, and much of it is so simple, uncontroversial and yet thoroughly damning. Case in point: according to Clarke (who worked in the White House for four presidents) Cheney attended ALL of the "Principals' Meetings" (meetings of the secretaries plus certain other people), something which Clarke says was unprecedented for a VP to do.

[ldf]

23. access to the whitehouse

gets the reporters nothing but lies. they should earn their paycheck and do a little investigative reporting.

but then again, the media owners want to be able to publicize those lies put out by the whitehouse. that way they are still in favor with bushbaby, and can be favored when the legislation comes around.

to hell with the principles of democracy, it's all about the $$.

:grr:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

27. That's a major league red herring to get people off the real trail.

[unblock]

7. if saudi arabia was the reason, saudi arabia would have been the target

with 15 of the 19 hijackers, as well as osama bin laden himself, being from saudi arabia, we had more of a reason to attack saudi arabia than iraq. plus, saudi arabia has much more oil than iraq.

if saudi arabia had been the 'real reason', we would have invaded saudi arabia.

duhhh.

[whosinpower]

8. Didn't Richard Pearle say the same thing?

I am reasonably sure that I recall Pearle making the same sort of statement. The ultimate goal was SA. Said basically that it would prove embarrassing for the government if the public knew the close ties/connections some members of the government have with the Saudi's....and so they invade Iraq to give the Saudi's and everyone else in the region a clear message.
Bush would like you to think it is working - look at Libya. I, however, am much more skeptic to this strategy...and I look only to Madrid, Fallujah.

[billybob537]

25. Saudi Arabian

families control over $3 TRILLION in US investments IF you anger them and they pull out of our economy instant depression would follow shortly.

[Just Me]

9. Uh,huh,...explain PNAC's aim at Iraq, Iran and Syria, then.

He is full of caa caa,...in my humble view.

[smartass]

11. Why would US gov't wanna get rid of Saudi monarchy?

They've been propping up the Saudi monarchy for years.

[Just Me]

13. Yup,...the Bushies are "very close" to the Sauds *eom*

[many a good man]

15. Diversionary tactic

Iraq attack was meant to divert attention AWAY from Saudi Arabia. Without Iraq to preoccupy our attention, everyone would be asking about all those SA connections...

[teryang]

16. This article is disinformation

<"Nobody could object to WMD and it was the one thing that every intelligence agency knew was true.

"We knew we were going to find them. And we would never have to reveal the real reasons.">

Give me a break.

[mazzarro]

19. This article is full of crap!

I don't believe it for a minute! The invasion was and is still about oil, control of Iraq and *'s personal vengeance against SH!

[54anickel]

22. Yep, the buried the really big BS at the end of the article again. Add to

your snippets the last line -

"The massive intelligence failure was that everybody including Saddam thought he had WMD. He behaved as if he had WMD. He was conned by his own people."

[sendero]

20. It's oil, no wait...

... it's poppy avengance - no wait... it's Israel - no wait... it's to send a message - no wait... it's Saudi Arabia!

Frankly - we may never know the real reason. I suspect at the very bottom it is a failed little boy trying to prove he is a man to his daddy.

It doesn't matter what it was about, it just wasn't about what it was sold to be about - and that is bad enough.

[DemonFighterLives]

24. What a tangled web

Here are my notes. First off the Bush connections with the Saudi's and Osama call everything else into question. There are the 28 missing pages, the flying out of the Bin Ladens and whoever else after 9/11. We have Osama wanting us out of Saudi Arabia and we kindly go into exile into Iraq. Oops, Iraq was a sovereign nation. Too bad say the Busheviks and the PNAC'ers. If one includes the PNAC agenda and an oil pipeline for Israel, and don't forget the water!! Then add the fact that Pakistan helped take in Osama and the gang, so that Shrub wouldn't have to out his buddy.
You must begin to look at this all as one big play. The evil-doers and good guys interact and at any specific time, it is hard to tell who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. Iraq did not hit us and neither did Afghanistan.

[never cry wolf]

21. Check the source

"Dr George Friedman, chairman of the United States private sector intelligence company Stratfor"

About Stratfor from their website:

"A private quasi-CIA, Stratfor has enjoyed an increasing vogue in recent years as a result of its heady forecasts and many news breaks."
BARRON's

Stratfor has no problem setting aside distracting moral issues and going to the heart of the matter..
The San Francisco Chronicle

WHO WE ARE:

Strategic intelligence on global business, economic, security and geopolitical affairs.
Stratfor is the world's leading private intelligence firm providing corporations, governments and individuals with geopolitical analysis and forecasts that enable them to manage risk and to anticipate political, economic and security issues vital to their interests.

Stratfor's clients - who include Fortune 500 companies and major government agencies . use Stratfor as a unique risk-analysis tool that exceeds the accuracy of government intelligence services while mitigating the costs of private sector consulting. Armed with powerful intelligence gathering capabilities and working in close collaboration with Stratfor's expert analyst team, Stratfor clients are better able to protect their assets, diminish their risk, compete in the market, and increase their opportunities.

http://stratfor.com/corp/Corporate.neo?s=ABO

I could not find a list of client's on their web site but they are headquartered in Austin, Tx. Baker-Botts, bushco, CIA?? Just more outsourcing methinks.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

28. I bet they're a LOT closer to the NeoCons, OSP, PNAC, etc., than...

...they are to the CIA.

[Tinoire]

34. Thank you! Finally... THOUGHT! n/t

[salin]

26. Wolfowitz said the reason we went to war (after we went to war)

was to get middle east bases - and move troops out of Saudi Arabia and to the new bases (or something to that effect.) In part because having troops in Saudi Arabia was a) incendiary (duh! - but as if attacking and occupying Iraq isn't.) and b) Saudi Arabia was not being cooperative in war on Terror (sorta like what this person is stating.)

Wish I could recall that story.

[maggrwaggr]

29. Karen Kwiatkowski said the same thing about the bases

she also said there were a couple of other reasons.

http://www.laweekly.com/ink/04/13/news-cooper.php

[The Stranger]

30. Isn't that story the mirror image of this one?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/oneworld/4536827661080666584

[Chicago Democrat]

31. We should overthrow Saudi Arabia

and force them into a constitutional monarchy.

Dismantle the Madrasses and put those who funded Al Qaeda behind bars.

[Tinoire]

33. What a pile of steaming CRAP!

George Friedman? Stratfor? Jeez!


Strategic intelligence on global business, economic, security and geopolitical affairs.
Stratfor is the world's leading private intelligence firm providing corporations, governments and individuals with geopolitical analysis and forecasts that enable them to manage risk and to anticipate political, economic and security issues vital to their interests.

Stratfor's clients - who include Fortune 500 companies and major government agencies . use Stratfor as a unique risk-analysis tool that exceeds the accuracy of government intelligence services while mitigating the costs of private sector consulting. Armed with powerful intelligence gathering capabilities and working in close collaboration with Stratfor's expert analyst team, Stratfor clients are better able to protect their assets, diminish their risk, compete in the market, and increase their opportunities.

Stratfor is a provider of intelligence services focused on:

olitical intelligence focusing on international political, economic and security issues

Business intelligence, focusing on issues ranging from technology to global alliances

Issues intelligence, focusing on the international regulatory environment and the forces that help shape it.

<snip>

Stratfor was founded in 1996, and is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in Washington, D.C., with an intelligence network located throughout the world.

http://stratfor.com/corp/Corporate.neo?s=ABO

I mean, sheesh, really. :puke: These apologetics on DU? 2x :puke:


What else can we look forward to? Sheesh.

[never cry wolf]

35. These guys are former spooks no doubt

Along with other former military and civilian intel. Probably in pappy's back pocket.

Between outfits like these and Blackwater security you too can have your own private military and intel organizations. I have no doubt that they have many very interesting clients who have some interesting agendas worldwide.

Special interests, think tanks, corporations, corporatists, etc. can hire these guys and exert thier own foreign policy upon other countries. Plus, the CIA or other agencies can hire them for the dirty work they are not allowed to do by statute. The proliferation of these unregulated spook squads is extremely scary.

[Tinoire]

36. Good to see you.

:) You're very good at keeping these things honest.

$1000 a day is what they were paying these washed up Seals and SF guys. One must wonder at what is at stake for them to employ so many at that price! Don't answer lol, most of us know.

Our tax dollars at work ;)

[never cry wolf]

37. They are the SA of today,

They were a private army too, or at least not an official governemt entity, they were the Nazi's private army. These guys are the neo-cons and corporatists private armies except these guys have the funding and technology that the brownshirts didn't have.

I know you are on top of the Haiti situation and I have no doubt that organizations like these are very active in Haiti, Venezuela and the horn of Africa, it is the corporatist way.

Here's an analogy of sorts, before the new United Center stadium opened here in Chicago I was invited to a lunch and tour of the new facility by a General Contractor we do alot of work with. The tour guide took us through the bowels and the heights but at one point she explained a bit about the corporate structure.

The building was built with private funds by the owners of the Bulls and the Blackhawks, but not the teams themselves, a different investment group made up mainly of the same players. The concessions were provided by a different corporation, made up mainly of the same players, the liquor provided exclusively by the distrubitor owner by the Wirtz family, the owner of the Blackhawks. The security provided by yet another corporation with, yes, the same cast of characters, they put Andy Frain out of business. Janitorial service, maintenance on and on all the same way.

In this manner, the Bulls and Blackhawks paid the stadium rent who then paid the service companies and their suppliers. At the end of the year the Bull's and Hawk's books show a minimal profit of even a loss even though the owners of all the entities involved were raking in cash from all the other corporations. In this way they could cry poor to fight player salaries.

Ok, maybe not a great analogy but it all comes down to accountability. If the neocons or corporatists (or spooks) want something done, they start a foundation who hires these separate companies and if word comes out who is behind which coup they are covered and hidden. That's the way business works, or at least the shady side of it.