Still, in the case of Israel VS The World

Post #39,946 by Ashton 5/26/02 5:34:33 AM Reply	Still, in the case of Israel VS The World All know that the Israeli nukes are pretty damn sure to function - the revelations of the former worker in the arsenal, assures that impression. That probability didn't deter Saddam from daring them (with no assurance when he launched Scuds that - the US would restrain Israel, or if the US tried: would succeed). So I don't see that the stark logic of "Why NOT-to!" VS any of these ongoing stalemates is at all convincing: only the French possess the oblique angles, vengeance is a dish which should be eaten cold.. AND let no good deed go unpunished.. The rest of the world is not so much wry as - repeatedly, almost predictably suicidal. Y'know? Still, we can hope for one more reprieve from the obvious denouement of institutionalized, theological hatred. Can't we? Ashton Concur re Musharraf - his aim and also his possible, likely? inability to accomplish it.
Post #39,974 by JayMehaffey 5/26/02 1:53:33 PM Reply	Saddam is not stupid Saddam is a perfect example of the cold, calculating bastard dictator. His first goal is his own survival, then comes increasing his power. The good of Iraq is only important as it regards the second point above. Notice that when he launched the scuds against Isreal he didn't use chemical warheads, even though he clearly could have. His goal was to provoke an Isreali response, but was carefully gauged to not give Isreal any excuse to use a nuclear weapon. A conventional force response by Isreal would likely have shattered the colition of Arab states that was aligned against Saddam. The complications this would bring would buy him time, if nothing else. Most Americans think Saddam is a conquest hopefull, but Saddam isn't that foolish. Both the Iraq-Iran war and the invasion of Kuwait had more to do with his survival then desire for land. The first was triggered by Iran's attempt to export their revolution to Iraq, while the second was caused by financial needs. Iraq's economy had not recovered after the war because oil prices where down, in part because Kuwait was exporting more then OPEC rules allowed. Jay
Post #39,999 by Ashton 5/26/02 10:00:15 PM Reply	Yours are the better points re Saddam. And the non-chemical warheads was a (noted at the time) subtlety. No, I didn't imagine Saddam stupid. But the leaders in question are all hostages of terminal religious pressures within the countries, which care nothing about such 'logic' - but only about Righteously prevailing. There can be only One true god = Mine. This is always the root IMhO, despite there being mundane $ considerations as always. That is why I deem the head-of-State machinations to be about as relevant as in the ballet, The Green Table. Nukes + these ancient afflictions is simply a recipe for the madness which was at least artificially constrained during the stalemate of the cold war. Apparently we needed that cold war a lot. It provided a mere political ideology to despise: now we are back starkly, to warring gods. Ashton

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