Add Reply
Related Information to Post War IraqPost War Iraq - Page 61 of 171
DID U.S. HYPE IRAQ NUCLEAR THREAT? In 2002, - Page 61 - Politics, Business, Civil, History - Posted: 3rd Oct, 2004 - 1:30pm
Posts: 1362 - Views: 101507
versus 
So, now that the USA left Iraq can the country rebuild herself and become stable? Related Information to Post War IraqPost Date: 16th Aug, 2004 - 11:37am / Post ID: #
NOTE: News [?]
Post War Iraq - Page 61
So when does this end? That question has been bothering me for a while. During the late '80's, I covered the war in El Salvador. The war had been going on for years, and showed no real sign of ending. All attempts to find some sort of solution had failed. The fighting just kept going. Until, finally, I think everyone on both sides just got tired of killing. I think that fatigue, as much as anything else, finally brought the war to an end. So how will this current war on terrorism end? There's no sense that al Qaeda will ever get tired of killing. They have put forward various aims and goals, none of which are realistic, and certainly won't come about. So will they ever stop? Or will every last one of them have to be hunted down individually? And we know that for every operative who is caught or killed, there is no shortage of new recruits waiting to take their place.
Ref. Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff - Nightline Offices
Sponsored Links:
Iraq War Post
More on WMDs in Iraq
https://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/8/9/110630.shtml
Physicist: Saddam's Uranium Stockpile Enough to Yield 142 Nukes
| QUOTE |
| Five hundred tons of yellowcake uranium ore stored at Saddam Hussein's al Tuwaitha nuclear weapons research laboratory near Baghdad could have been enriched to produce 142 nuclear weapons, a prominent British physicist has determined. . . . To cause a nuclear chain reaction, he noted, "you need U235, which only makes up less than 1 percent [0.7] of natural uranium." After doing the calculations, Professor Dombey explained, "You have a warehouse containing 500 tons of natural uranium; you need 25 kilograms of U235 to build one weapon. How many nuclear weapons can you build? "The answer is 142." Though most reporters continue to insist that Iraq had abandoned its nuclear weapons program after the first Gulf War, chief U.S. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer told Congress earlier this year that the Iraqi scientists were "preserving and expanding [their] knowledge to design and develop nuclear weapons." One laboratory at al Tuwaitha "was intentionally focused on research applicable for nuclear weapons development," the top weapons inspector revealed. |
Hmm. No evidence, whatsoever of WMD programs, right?
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 854 
85.4%
Post Date: 18th Aug, 2004 - 11:14pm / Post ID: #
Post War Iraq History & Civil Business Politics
| QUOTE |
| Hmm. No evidence, whatsoever of WMD programs, right? |
Actually -- yes, that's right.
Lack of yellowcake uranium was not what was preventing Iraq from developing nuclear weapons. They had enough of that basic material, which is another reason why they had no reason to attempt to acquire more from Niger and why the entire issue regarding Joseph Wilson's mission is essentially besides the point.
The Bush administration, and the quoted article, attempt to equate the possession of yellowcake uranium with the active production of nuclear weapons. It is a logical fallacy, and the Bush administration made false claims when they asserted Iraq was reconstituting nuclear weapons.
What Iraq lacked was the equipment and facilities for producing nuclear weapons -- facilities consisting of enormous infrastructure which simply didn't exist. The IAEA and the UN inspectors (before Bush forced them out of the country in March 2003) had not reached a final conclusion regarding chemical and biological weapons, but they were confident that Iraq had no nuclear weapons facilities. It had been effectively dismantled and destroyed after the first gulf war, and had not been rebuilt.
That Iraq possessed stocks of yellowcake uranium was no secret to the IAEA or the U.S. intelligence community. If the American public in general had also been aware of this and the fact that yellowcake is useless as a weapon without the facilities for enrichment and the manufacture of weapons, president Bush would have seen no point in speaking those "16 words" in his 2003 SOTU speech.
And the issue wouldn't be resurrected now to claim that Iraq was producing nuclear weapons -- a claim that, in the absence of production facilities -- has been thoroughly disproven.
Page 61 Iraq War Post
Here is a message from a Marine, in Iraq. He has some very interesting points.
| QUOTE |
| Since then my squadron has been providing continuous support for our engaged Marine brothers on the ground, by this point slugging it out hand-to-hand in the city's ancient Muslim cemetery. The Imam Ali shrine in Najaf is the burial place of the prophet Muhammad's son-in-law, and is one of the most revered sites in Shiite Islam. The cemetery to its north is gigantic, filled with New Orleans-style crypts and mausoleums. We had been warned it was an "exclusion zone" when we got here, that the local authorities had asked us to not go in there or fly overhead, even though we knew the bad guys were using this area to hide weapons, make improvised explosive devices, and plan against us. Being the culturally sensitive force we are, we agreed - until Aug. 5. Suddenly, I was conducting support missions over the marines' heads in the graveyard, dodging anti-aircraft artillery and rocket-propelled grenades and preparing to be shot down, too. My perspective broadened rapidly. I want to emphasize that our military is using every means possible to minimize damage to historical, religious and civilian structures, and is going out of its way to protect the innocent. I have not shot one round without good cause, whether it be in response to machine gun fire aimed at me or mortars shot at soldiers and marines on the ground. Sure, some of those people might be waving just to make sure we don't shoot them, but I think the majority are on our side. I've learned that this enemy is not just a mass of angry Iraqis who want us to leave their country, as some would have you believe. The forces we're fighting around Iraq are a conglomeration of renegade Shiites, former Baathists, Iranians, Syrians, terrorists with ties to Ansar al-Islam and Al Qaeda, petty criminals, destitute citizens looking for excitement or money, and yes, even a few frustrated Iraqis who worry about Wal-Mart culture infringing on their neighborhood. Now we are on the verge of victory or defeat in Iraq. Success depends not only on battlefield superiority, but also on the trust and confidence of the American people. I've read some articles recently that call for cutting back our military presence in Iraq and moving our troops to the peripheries of most cities. Such advice is well-intentioned but wrong - it would soon lead to a total withdrawal. Our goal needs to be a safe Iraq, free of militias and terrorists; if we simply pull back and run, then the region will pose an even greater threat than it did before the invasion. I also fear if we do not win this battle here and now, my 7-year-old son might find himself here in 10 or 11 years, fighting the same enemies and their sons. When critics of the war say their advocacy is on behalf of those of us risking our lives here, it's a type of false patriotism. I believe that when Americans say they "support our troops," it should include supporting our mission, not just sending us care packages. They don't have to believe in the cause as I do; but they should not denigrate it. That only aids the enemy in defeating us strategically. |
There is more.
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 854 85.4%
Post Date: 5th Sep, 2004 - 5:23pm / Post ID: #
NOTE: News [?]
Iraq War Post
Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, deputy comander of armed forces under Saddam Hussein, is captured by Iraqi national guard and U.S. troops, Iraqi Defense Ministry says.
Ref. https://CNN.com
Post War Iraq
You might find this little entry interesting.
This is a letter from a Marine Major currently in Baghdad. "Doom & Gloom about Iraq's future... I don't see it from where I"m sitting."
| QUOTE |
| The naysayers will point to the recent battles in Najaf and draw parallels between that and what happened in Fallujah in April. They aren't even close. The bad guys did us a HUGE favor by gathering together in one place and trying to make a stand. It allowed us to focus on them and defeat them. Make no mistake, Al Sadr's troops were thoroughly smashed. The estimated enemy killed in action is huge. Before the battles, the residents of the city were afraid to walk the streets. Al Sadr's enforcers would seize people and bring them to his Islamic court where sentence was passed for religious or other violations. Long before the battles people were looking for their lost loved ones who had been taken to "court" and never seen again. Now Najafians can and do walk their streets in safety. Commerce has returned and the city is being rebuilt. Iraqi security forces and US troops are welcomed and smiled upon. That city was liberated again. It was not like Fallujah - the bad guys lost and are in hiding or dead. |
He is specifically talking about the National Intelligence Estimate that is being used by various elements to make it sound as if we are losing.
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 854 85.4%
Post War Iraq - Page 61
Another update on "Good News from Iraq."
https://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110005676
Among the excellent tidbits included in the article is this piece about 5 Iraqi journalists interviewed by the Kansas City Star, and some of their responses to a question about their opinions about media coverage of the war in Iraq.
| QUOTE |
| The response was amusing in a way. Perhaps out of tact, our visitors (they asked that we not use their names) said they hadn't seen much U.S. coverage. Most couldn't speak English. But coverage by the Arab media, they said through translators, presented a distorted picture. One member of the group, the only woman, said the pessimistic tone of Arab coverage was making things worse by encouraging terrorists and demoralizing those who supported democracy. Another journalist, a man in a dark suit, said the insurgents "don't represent the Iraqi people." Arab reporters, said a third, "try to give the impression that it's hopeless. If you watch the satellite channels from Arab countries you would imagine there's no rebuilding going on." |
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 854 85.4%
Post Date: 3rd Oct, 2004 - 1:30pm / Post ID: #
NOTE: News [?]
Post War Iraq Politics Business Civil & History - Page 61
DID U.S. HYPE IRAQ NUCLEAR THREAT?
In 2002, at a crucial juncture on the path to war, senior members of the Bush administration gave a series of speeches and interviews in which they asserted that Saddam Hussein was rebuilding his nuclear weapons program.
Ref. https://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C...95728%2C00.html
TOPIC: Post War Iraq