Arguing with Bush yet Again - Juan Cole

[AussieInCA]

he's really going at chimpy today (is in the WED blog section)

http://www.juancole.com

Then he let the poppy growing industry come back with a vengeance. Afghanistan's GNP is $5 billion a year. At least $2 billion of that is poppies, and Afghanistan has become the top source for heroin in Europe. With al-Qaeda and the Taliban still powerful in the country or its borderlands, Afghanistan is on the way to becoming a terrorist's dream-- a place worse than Colombia from which narco-terrorism can be funded and launched. This looming disaster will certainly blow back on the American homeland. Yet Bush is doing nothing to avert it.

As for democracy and liberating 50 million people, neither the people of Afghanistan nor that of Iraq have elected national governments by popular sovereignty. It is not entirely clear when they will be able to do so. For the moment, there hasn't been any introduction of anything like democracy. The US invaded each and installed a government of its choosing. That isn't democracy. In Iraq, Paul Bremer repeatedly blocked democratic municipal elections. That was a great lesson for the people in democracy, all right.

Worse, the American invasion of Iraq is a major recruitment poster for al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda's message was that the Americans are coming to Muslim lands. 'They will invade your countries, expropriate your property, rape your women, and humiliate your men,' al-Qaeda screams. What does Bush do? He proves al-Qaeda right. More angry young Arab men are ready to fight the United States now than ever before. Bush is less popular than Bin Laden in most Muslim countries according to polls.

So, no, Americans are not safer, Mr. Bush. They face the threat of substantial narco-terrorism from Afghanistan. Iraq is a security nightmare that could well blow back on the American homeland. Pakistan remains a military dictatorship with a host of militant jihadi movements that had been fomented by the hardline Pakistani military intelligence. Saudi Arabia is witnessing increased al-Qaeda activity and attacks on Westerners. And the Israeli-Palestine dispute is being left to fester and poison the world.

[izzie]

1. I still think it was oil

Reason? Iraq has one of the last large oil fields. They started trading in Euro. We needed a base to sit on those last oil fields to control the oil which we need if we are to stay a major player.. No new fields have been found in 30 to 40 years only small sites of oil and all the fields are running out. No one tells us the truth about what is left. Saudi pads it because it is all they have and stock market has oil corp keep up the reserve figures because of stock prices. No new refinery have been built because it would be a waste of money as the oil will be gone. North Sea is gone, Alaska has even pushed to get out oil in better ways and this is going on all over and we are not getting more oil. Bush wants what is left in the Middle East so we are their with our Army. I am willing to bet oil will be 150 per Bar. in less than 10 years. The rich do not care but we all will pay dearly. I recall when oil came in as we used to heat out schools and homes with coal. That was only 50 years ago. Ghawar field or what ever the name in Saudi is, is about to run out.

[indigobusiness]

2. I think it was the War Machine

Oil is just incidental.

[reprehensor]

3. Thank for the post! n/t