From: gerald_a_levy (gerald_a_levy@MSN.COM)
Date: Mon Apr 28 2003 - 12:59:42 EDT
Re Paul B's post of April 24: Thanks for the references. Here's another article on the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) [sub-titled "Cheney's Monstrous Scheme"] http://www.prisonplanet.com/analysis_louise_010603_pnac.html One likely consequence of the war will be a *permanent US military presence in Iraq*. The White House has already said that they would like to establish 6 or more permanent military bases in Iraq. This would give the US government the ability to rapidly deploy its forces in other countries in the Middle East and nearby countries in Asia and Africa. Even if the "road map" (whatever it is) is followed for Palestinian statehood, Palestine would then be surrounded with a huge Israeli military presence primarily to the East and a US presence to the South. The US could then invade or just threaten to invade Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, etc. in search of "terrorists" and the governments who "condone" their presence (and, as we know from Afghanistan, the Bush administration's post 9-11 stated policy is that governments which harbor terrorists should be treated as if they were themselves terrorist). The US administration has said that they wish to 'negotiate' the presence of these military bases with the new Iraqi government. But, since the US will control who will be in the new Iraqi government, the 'negotiation' will be a farce. What will happen, looking ahead a few years (?), when there are 'democratic' elections in Iraq? It would be naive to think that the US will allow an Islamic fundamentalist political party to come to power -- yet many believe that such a party could get the votes needed to win such an election. Similarly, I doubt that the US will allow the Iraqi Communist Party (which at one point in the 1950's, before Saddam, was the largest political party in Iraq) to have a significant role in a new government whatever people want. My guess is that the US authority will declare certain political parties to be supportive of "terrorism" and ban them. This would, however, de-legitimize any 'democratic' election from the standpoint of the Iraqi masses. In solidarity, Jerry
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