[SOC] Post-war Iraq

Sat, 5 Apr 2003 20:50:46 +0100

Chris.

I disagree with nothing that you have written.

I particularly concur with:

>
> The Brits are there in our own little way, not to win contracts, not to
help
> George W to get the next chapter of 'revelations' to start, but because it
> is right.
>

It is right.

Paul

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Redding" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 8:38 PM
Subject: Re: [SOC] Post-war Iraq

> Maybe, Paul. But I will make two prophecies (from past experience)
>
> 1. The UK will be awarded hardly any contracts for Iraq's reconstruction.
> The USA has already taken the lion's share for itself, like after Gulf War
1
> when the UK got almost nothing.
>
> 2. True, the operation is predominantly American (given that the USA's
> population is 5x bigger than the UK's), but when Hollywood starts
> churning-out movies about this war, it will be as though the Brits were
> never there at all, (unless they need a criminal gangster figure like
> Charles Dance or Alan Rickman).
>
> The Brits are there in our own little way, not to win contracts, not to
help
> George W to get the next chapter of 'revelations' to start, but because it
> is right.
>
> The Germans have a strong pacifist streak born of their history, so they
can
> maybe be forgiven.
>
> The reason I would exclude France especially is that their leaders showed
> hypocrisy. They disguised their fears over losing the billions they had
> riding on Saddam staying in power as 'humanitarian angst' for the Iraqis.
I
> would have respected them more if they had been honest and abstained. We
> could at least then have negotiated giving the French a slice of the pie
to
> compensate them for their financial losses.
>
> Chris G4PDJ
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Bartlett" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 7:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [SOC] Post-war Iraq
>
>
> Succinctly put and I agree entirely, Bill.
>
> Also, consider that both the US and the UK have committed to providing
funds
> to assist reconstruction. I have no problem with insisting that the funds
> are spent with companies operating in the countries that supported the
> coalition. If we are funding it, then let the money spin around in our own
> economies rather than feed into those who simply stood to one side hoping
to
> profit from the outcome.
>
> Paul
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bill Cunningham" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Saturday, April 05, 2003 7:18 PM
> Subject: Re: [SOC] Post-war Iraq
>
>
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> > > The media is reporting that both France and Germany are saying that
they
> > > want to have a major role in post-war Iraq.  My question is, how
should
> > the
> > > nations of the coalition respond to this?
> > >
> >
> > Let UN do humanitarian work and let the coalition (with addition of
> selected
> > external advice from regional stakeholders) set up a new government ,
but
> > specifically without the help of France and Germany.  UN does pretty
well
> at
> > humanitarian aid and has earned the right to be ignored in business of
> > restoring order and a new government.  France and Germany "have a dog in
> the
> > fight" in terms or restoring oil contracts or payments for sales to
Saddam
> > against future oil production.  To they are hopelessly biased, quite
> > independent of the desire to tell them where to go.  Best answer is to
get
> > an Iraqi government up and functioning as fast as possible, getting both
> the
> > UN and coalition out of their way.
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> > [email protected]
> > http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/soc
> >
>
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