China's involvement

[Cal Wright]

I just saw on the news, CNN, NBC, it's all alphabet soup, that China had installed fiber optic facilities of some sort in Iraq, and they commented that this was a main reason that China wants the US to back off on hostilities. This was against the U.N. of course, the reporters stated that Iraq paid China a shit load of money to install the system.

If it's true, then it's pretty damn funny. Those bastards are all upset now. LoL. Yeah, paid all that money, and surprise, we just blew the shit out of it. Ah, my hard earned tax dollars at work.

[Axis Kast]

The Chinese were selling fiber-optic communications equipment to Saddam as early as 2000.

Beijing wishes primarily to save a potential trading partner and in the process sabotage American foreign policy. As with much of the rest of the world, the Chinese were hoping to watch Bush back down and thus open himself to new challenges in the future. Unlike the French however, the Chinese are not willing to go out of their way and lose that much more face. With war upon us, they're quieting down.

[irishmick79]

Hey, at least we're not lobbing errant missiles at the Chinese Embassy this time....

[Sea Skimmer]

Iraq has had Chinese fiber optics linking its radars for years. Its allows there air defense system to operate without too many centralized control stations. However while it's allowed them to preserve many radars by handing off targets to others and shutting down, its also meant they can't hit much but drones.

A couple years ago the US destroyed most of the networks hubs, and destroyed several bridges which carried the cables. But for the most part the links where left intact and its likely new hubs have been built.

[weemadando]

Hey, at least we're not lobbing errant missiles at the Chinese Embassy this time....

I remember that.

"Oh, yes, we -err- accidentally hit the Chinese Embassy. Our bad, no really, we didn't mean to *snerk*. We, umm, apologise and stuff. It won't happen again. We promise. Unless we can get a clear shot at the Russians at the airport. Damn them."

[Tsyroc]

Hey, at least we're not lobbing errant missiles at the Chinese Embassy this time....

I remember that.

"Oh, yes, we -err- accidentally hit the Chinese Embassy. Our bad, no really, we didn't mean to *snerk*. We, umm, apologise and stuff. It won't happen again. We promise. Unless we can get a clear shot at the Russians at the airport. Damn them."

We also had some of our bombs "accidently" hit the French embassy in Libya back in the 80's when some F-111s flying from the UK had to go around French airspace to eventually drops some stuff in Quadaffi's backyard.

[Crown]

Hey, at least we're not lobbing errant missiles at the Chinese Embassy this time....

I remember that.

"Oh, yes, we -err- accidentally hit the Chinese Embassy. Our bad, no really, we didn't mean to *snerk*. We, umm, apologise and stuff. It won't happen again. We promise. Unless we can get a clear shot at the Russians at the airport. Damn them."

We also had some of our bombs "accidently" hit the French embassy in Libya back in the 80's when some F-111s flying from the UK had to go around French airspace to eventually drops some stuff in Quadaffi's backyard.

You know that is just too strange to be a coencidance! But funny anyway.

[Crown]

If it's true, then it's pretty damn funny. Those bastards are all upset now. LoL. Yeah, paid all that money, and surprise, we just blew the shit out of it. Ah, my hard earned tax dollars at work.

Yes God-forbid that a regime that runs over protesting students with tanks, would have anything to do with a regime that gases dissedents. Why is this a surprise?

[Cal Wright]

I don't know why I was surprised. Your right though, they have a lot in common.

[The Dark]

If it's true, then it's pretty damn funny. Those bastards are all upset now. LoL. Yeah, paid all that money, and surprise, we just blew the shit out of it. Ah, my hard earned tax dollars at work.

Yes God-forbid that a regime that runs over protesting students with tanks, would have anything to do with a regime that gases dissedents. Why is this a surprise?

Hey, China's got to have customers for their annual $6 billion in arms sales. And after Tiananmen, nothing they do can really surprise me, unless it's to say "just kidding!" and become warm, fuzzy people. That might make me keel over in shock, but I think my life is pretty safe. The Red Dragon's not going to change much if I'm reading Hu Jintao properly. Then again, I did miss the OPEC dropping oil prices, so take all my predictions with a heaping grain of salt .