Mr Bean wrote:Ted seems to be under the mistaken impression that its ok in Invade US Allies
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/straw-man.html
He claimed that it was because of oil. In no way did he mention or imply any positive or negative effect of being a US ally.
You are confusing your own opinion that it was because Iraq threatened SA, with his opinion that oil and influence was the reason.
Mr Bean wrote:Yes Oil is what makes the World go round however its the long fucked stated position of the US YOU DONT FUCK WITH OUR ALLIES
Strange to see the normal analytical posts by bean deteriorate so fast.
Ted wrote:The main reason was oil.
Just like the Afgan war, the US had a plan for a major pipeline from Georgia through Afganistan, so it wouldn't go tthrough Russia.Why else would the US also have troops in Georiga?
Ted wrote:And please, learn to spell. Its ally, not allie.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacie ... ttack.html
Check your post above. Don't trash someones bad spelling if you can't spell yourself.
A simple [Its ally, not allie.] would have sufficed.
Now to the issue at hand.
You are both wrong.
In the real world where politics and war happens the truth isn't black or white.
http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacie ... lemma.html
Let's look at your arguments:
Did oil factor in?
Yes. Oil gives money. Money gives influence. Influence is what you need to make politics.
Did SaudiArabia being an ally factor in?
Yes. Hostile troops next to an ally of the US did concern USA. But more importantly, the ally wanted a US attack on Iraq and where willing to finance it.
Do you see how easy it is? There was not a single reason why the UN gave the mandate for sanctions followed by assault. Each reason in itself was not enough.
Also what both of you are forgetting is that it was not US who was the warmonger that time.
The outcry came first from Europe, which triggered NATO, which triggered the US, which triggered the UN.
Now why is this important?
Because both your motives only includes the politics of the USA without regard to the rest of the world.
Before the Iraq-Kuwait crisis, USA was pro-Iraq and pro-Saddam something which people seem to have forgotten today. There are even rumors that a US ambassador gave a "we don't care" message to Saddam before the attack.
Do a web search on "Ambassador", "Glaspie" and "Saddam".
So it actually took a push for the US to make a turn from regarding Iraq as a US friendly nation, to an axis of evil.
This push came from the rest of the world.
When Iraq not just took the border which was in dispute but instead invaded the whole of Kuwait, the world got first worried and then angry.
Much of the anger came from the media which was being fed propaganda both from exiled kuwaitis and from scared SaudiArabia.
Make a web-search for "Nayirah", "ambassador" and "testimony".
You will find that one of the more circulated atrocities of the Iraqi invasion was a fabrication.
Now don't make the logical mistake of saying that since this is untrue then no atrocities took place, it was an invasion, it was in the middle-east, the problem was that you needed a public outcry. Something which isn't created with rapes and torture. Hence the incubators story.
While I'm at it I will give you both a homework to do.
->Bean
Do a web search on "Saudi Arabia", "St. Petersburg Times" and "Peter Zimmerman".
You will find that the threat on Saudi-Arabia was exagerated. Also intelligence reports from captured Iraqi troops revealed that there existed no orders to attack Saudi-Arabia.
And people, don't make the logical mistake to say that this indicates that no such threat existed. It certainly did! If USA hadn't put a presence there they would have been a plausible target but not after the presence of US troops.
->Ted
Do a web search on "Africa", "oil" and "war".
You will find that there are wars in africa which include oil. These wars are small scale and fought with WWII methods. If US was so interested in securing oil fields and influence over oil prices then it would be much cheaper to settle one of the african wars than to invade a middle east country. So why don't they? We could also look at the Philippines etc.
And people, don't make the logical mistake to say that this indicates that oil don't influence where and when we fight our wars.
PS
This post took long time to make so please excuse me if the chronological order seems incorrect.
DS