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Iraq and A Hard Place-
Should we Invade or Just Garnish Their Wages?

(written 2002)

I had some thoughts about the invasion of
Iraq by the US. There are a few realities that I feel
should be considered.

First off, the religious aspect. Osama and his co-horts
were not too pleased with the Sultan-ish behavior of Saddam's
regime. They're critical of the culture that Hussein had
seemingly endorsed as a violation of Islamic law.

Saddam Hussein, for that matter, appeared unlikely to
trade technology and luxury for burkas and goat-body polo.
He much preferred to be seen as a cross between Suliman
and the Sheik of Arabi.

So, religiously speaking, these are strange bedfellows-
unlikely to cooperate without a common enemy.
We did Al Qeda a favor, actually, because the guy was
a pain in the butt to them. too. They couldn't take out a fellow
Muslim, even if he does give the whole group a black eye.
Without Saddam hanging around bolloxing things up,
Osama can now use the common enemy tactic to
advantage, citing Saddam's own capture as another reason
to rise up against the infidels.

That would be, specifically, US.

Since hatred of the USA is spun so hard in the Middle East,
we (the US) must be patient about the larger ramifications
in the region. After all, we have a few realities of our own
to put on the table.

Maybe a little bit of ol' Teddy Roosevelt would help now.
We already carry the big stick, so maybe we can speak
softly- if we say the right thing. The world would be hard
pressed to get along without the US, be it financially,
politically, militarily or technologically.

No, destroying America, as the Taliban and such would
wish, is infinitely worse for all nations than can be
imagined. Too many of the world community's needs are
dependant on the USA as a thriving leader.

And this war, like Desert Storm, was nothing compared to
what the US armed forces could have done without soldier
one setting foot. A first strike alone may have finished it,
but certainly a constant reminder that any misbehavior
will be dealt with harshly seems necessary at this time.

So, the USA has an element of choice here. We need not
destroy Iraq, or any other nation, as long as we know it
can be done if there is no other option. We are the most
generous occupying force in history as it is. This means the
insurgents still following Saddam's old line are truly
demented, and will be difficult to root out or defend against.

We may reach a point where we, the US, may want to play
a much bigger trump card- one that would make the Arabs
themselves quell the insurgents and terrorists.

Suppose the US called back all troops and ceased all
foreign aid to the region in protest of being dragged into
war as a 3rd party and victimized? Suppose America
made all it's trade partners sign a human and religious
rights agreement or refuse to trade? How about sanctions
on countries with drastic trade deficits? What if we really
said 'enough is enough' -gasp- financially!!!!

The world as we know it would vanish instantly if the
US pulled any one aspect of it's involvement, even with
just the countries that hate us. That's an awfully big
stick to carry.

We could cut deals with Russia and 'newly enlightened'
Libya for oil while we drastically ramp up hydrogen
technology to eliminate our dependance on it. We could
make some inroads in Asia and South America that
could result in acceptable contracts and trade agreements,
leaving only the unfriendly part of the Middle East
vulnerable to our lack of support and trade.

Let Al Qeda chew on destroying the entire Muslim world's
economy over their own baseless hatred.

That they would be bombed to the stone age is a given
to the self-proclaimed enemies of America. That we
would defer a single dollar to be made is inconceivable.
Even Israel, I'm sure, believes their $5 billion in annual
aid is totally inviolate. This makes the financial 'stick'
even bigger.

The mere threat of it would ripple through the Arab
community, scrambling ambassadors to cut deals.

But deal-cutting is all just talk, and training terrorists in the
desert with government resources is another story.

No, this requires a 'drop the other shoe' type of thing.

My next suggestion would be that the US suddenly drop it's
opposition to the world court, and simultaneously sue all
the offending nations for the full range of transgressions
against America or any of it's allies and trade partners,
eliminating all aid to those nations until the suit is resolved.

The Arab nations must band together in opposition to
Al-qeda's leadership, as well as any other terrorist
organizations, not in spite of America's dominance in world
affairs, but because of it. Our economy drives the world's
engines. They all need us.

It's not just about the money or religion.

It's religiously just about OUR MONEY.

Let's keep our money until they cut out the crap.