Kuwait will not Allow US troops to use bases in kuwait to attack Iran

[Keltoi]

Even when the whole world acknowledges that Bush was wrong to go into Iraq, you still fail to see them. There was no WMD, and attacking afghan and iraq was nothing more than revenge.

I dont see how the world is a better place now that afghanistan and iraq are under american rule.:rollseyes

Even the whole world? Hardly. In any event, I would agree that revenge played a part in it. However, I also think Bush believed in his theory that a democratic Iraq would be a stabilizing force in the region. The problem is that he and his advisors didn't bother to plan on exactly how this transition was going to take place.

 

[Cognescenti]

Even when the whole world acknowledges that Bush was wrong to go into Iraq, you still fail to see them. There was no WMD, and attacking afghan and iraq was nothing more than revenge.

I dont see how the world is a better place now that afghanistan and iraq are under american rule.:rollseyes

1) In retrospect, the war in Iraq will fall short of its goals. There were no WMD's, although it was not known at the time. Still, this is the real world. In this world, one doesn't get to see into the future. And there is the pesky matter of SH if you imagine you can turn back the clock.

2) Afghanistan is a different matter. The link to the 9-11 attack is clear (unless one is a nutjob). The Taliban were giving safe harbor to Al Quaeda. There may well have been some revenge going there, that is only natural. It was warranted. But we were talking specifically about Iraq

3) FYI..neither country is under "American Rule"

 

[Pygoscelis]

2) Afghanistan is a different matter. The link to the 9-11 attack is clear (unless one is a nutjob). The Taliban were giving safe harbor to Al Quaeda. There may well have been some revenge going there, that is only natural. It was warranted. But we were talking specifically about Iraq

Well to play devils advocate on this, there are two important points I see that need to be made.

1. The US claimed they had irrefutable evidence that Osama did 9/11. Afghanistan asked to see this evidence. It didn't seem like an unreasonaable request to me at the time. The US refused to provide it, and instead promptly invaded Afghanistan.

2. It is unclear that the Taliban could have handed over Bin Laden even if they wanted to.

 

[Keltoi]

Well to play devils advocate on this, there are two important points I see that need to be made.

1. The US claimed they had irrefutable evidence that Osama did 9/11. Afghanistan asked to see this evidence. It didn't seem like an unreasonaable request to me at the time. The US refused to provide it, and instead promptly invaded Afghanistan.

2. It is unclear that the Taliban could have handed over Bin Laden even if they wanted to.

It was an unreasonable request primarily because it gave Bin Laden time to escape, which of course he did anyway. The U.S. was under no illusions about the good faith nature of the Taliban's "request".

 

[Cognescenti]

Well to play devils advocate on this, there are two important points I see that need to be made.

1. The US claimed they had irrefutable evidence that Osama did 9/11. Afghanistan asked to see this evidence. It didn't seem like an unreasonaable request to me at the time. The US refused to provide it, and instead promptly invaded Afghanistan.

2. It is unclear that the Taliban could have handed over Bin Laden even if they wanted to.

As to #1, I would agree with Keltoi. The Taliban were just buying time. Do you remember the Taliban spokesman in Pakistan? He made Baghdad Bob look like Walter Cronkite.

I do agree with number two, but that is hardly our problem They backed the wrong horse. He was their "guest" for several years.

 

[Ninth_Scribe]

KUWAIT CITY, June 11 (AFP) Jun 11, 2007
Kuwait, a staunch US ally, said on Monday it would not allow the United States to use its territory as a launch-pad for any attack on Iran over its nuclear programme.

The CND in England had issues back in 1983 with Reagan when he said "there could be a limited nuclear war in Europe". They opposed U.S. bases in Britain that would be used to launch missiles or other weapons against the Soviets. It did sound kind of nasty too. The fear was that the U.S. would point weapons at the Soviet Union, who would in turn point their weapons at the U.S. bases in Europe. What if a war began? The Soviets would pay the price. Europe would pay the price. The United States would walk away scott-free! Considering the one "mishap" - the accidental dropping of an ICBM that could have wiped Scotland off the map (see Guiness Book of World Records) - I think Kuwait is more than justified in it's response.

Ninth Scribe