Imaging this scenario. Lets flip the tables on iraq!

[Pasi Nurminen]

Iraq boasted a modern social infrastructure with a first-class range of health-care facilities, and the Iraqi people enjoyed one of the highest standards of living in the Middle East. In 1991, there were 1,800 health-care centres in Iraq. More than a decade later, that number is almost half, and almost a third of them require major rehabilitation. Iraq had used its oil revenues, which accounted for 60% of its gross domestic product (GDP), to build a modern health-care system with large Western-style hospitals and modern technology. Iraqi medical and nursing schools attracted students from throughout the Middle East, and many Iraqi doctors were trained in Europe or the U.S.A. Primary health-care services reached about 97% of the urban population and 78% of the rural population in 1990.

"Iraq had a modern sanitary infrastructure with an extensive network of water-purification and sewage-treatment systems. Water networks distributed clean, safe water to 95% of the urban population and to 75% of those in rural areas. In 1990, Iraq was ranked 50th out of 130 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index, which measures national achievements in health, education, and per capita GDP".

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/HAS506A.html

QED.

 

[amadeus]

Not correct at all. Up until 1991, Iraq was a staunch ally of the United States, and had one of the highest standards of living in the Middle East despite the immense strain of the war on Iran.

We know this is untrue from GDP figures; Iraq's economy was doing well up until Saddam Hussein came to power. Since 1979, Iraq's economy was in decline and then only stagnated during the very late 1980s.

As for the supposed ally claim, any evidence to back that up? Don't use arms sales, because Iraq's arms purchases were made from the Soviet Union and France. I'd also advise against saying the U.S. had military advisors on the ground; the Soviet Union, on the other hand, had as many as 15,000 in Baghdad at one time.

Then he decided to stand up on his own and to stop being such a puppet of the West, figuring that as long as he didn't threaten any Western interests, neither Bush I nor any other Western leader would care. Big miscalculation on his part. Western leaders don't simply let their puppets walk away.

Iraq attacked and invaded a generally internationally friendly government and brought down unnecessary death and destruction against the people of Kuwait; it had nothing to do with the U.S.-Iraqi relations, which were already strained by 1990.

 

[ShannonCT]

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/HAS506A.html

QED.

50 out of 130 in development? More than half of GDP coming from 1 source? The only thing you've QED'd is that Iraq had a mediocre economy in 1990. This also shows nothing about how these variables CHANGED during the first 11 years of Saddam's reign. Have any more specious stats you want to quote?

How about how Saddam ran his country into the ground after 1990?

The only thing that Saddam was good at was hanging on to power.

 

[BasketCase]

My answer to Xanik's scenario: America has already been there and done that. We moved over to this side of the Atlantic and ended up with British troops following us across.

We beat them. Without using terrorist tactics, I should add. And I should also add that when they left, we didn't follow them back to England and start performing suicide bombings.

 

[Hygro]

Oh, but when we win the Iraq war with the surge the Iraqis will follow our troops home and perform suicide bombings?

errr

When we lose the war, the Iraqis will follow us home and bomb us even though they won?

errr

maybe you mean the insurgency will win the war and not follow us home too. That must be it.

 

[FriendlyFire]

My answer to Xanik's scenario: America has already been there and done that. We moved over to this side of the Atlantic and ended up with British troops following us across.

We beat them. Without using terrorist tactics, I should add. And I should also add that when they left, we didn't follow them back to England and start performing suicide bombings.

Yeah if only they had "Stay the course" for another 300 years.
I blame the liberal media for being tratiors everyone knew the british were winning.

 

[angeleyes]

@Phlegmak: i apologize if i've insulted you (and american culture). It's annoying for me to see a foreign culture have so much influence on my own, especially when my fellow country men begin to use english (american) words when there are equally good dutch words for the same case....

 

[Phlegmak]

@Phlegmak: i apologize if i've insulted you (and american culture). It's annoying for me to see a foreign culture have so much influence on my own, especially when my fellow country men begin to use english (american) words when there are equally good dutch words for the same case....

If you dislike American culture, fine. But saying we don't even have a culture is deeply insulting. I have no problem if you hate American culture.

 

[aneeshm]

Lets flip the tables on iraq!

Imagine your country was invaded by a force from another country, wether it be the E.U, china, or the U.S, claiming to be "liberators". Oh and at the same time a dictator just recently came into power in your country. For added twist lets say the "liberators" installed him a couple decades ago.

Would you support terrorist tactics against them to get rid of the "liberators"?

That's happened to us in India. Many times. Far too many times. And now we're out for revenge. The bastards who did this will pay with their cultures and religions.

 

[angeleyes]

If you dislike American culture, fine. But saying we don't even have a culture is deeply insulting. I have no problem if you hate American culture.

OK, understand: but first i said american culture swamps us, than i said there's no american culture, so imo you could knew i was exaggerating, making fun.

 

[RedWolf]

Iraq attacked and invaded a generally internationally friendly government and brought down unnecessary death and destruction against the people of Kuwait; it had nothing to do with the U.S.-Iraqi relations, which were already strained by 1990.

Well they actually invaded a fellow dictatorship... with permission from the U.S. (even if it was possibly a mis-understanding).

 

[Swedishguy]

As I see it, there are three ''auditorians'': China, EU and US. They all keep their eyes on each other and, because I live in an EU country, this just isn't possible.

 

[thenooblet22]

Uh, I do believe there was another thread about this. Not so much Iraq specific, but the same scenario. You might wanna try that handy-dandy search engine you're neglecting...