On Fri, 11 Apr 2003, James A. Donald wrote:
It's good for Iraq that they have oil. Having oil is always better than not having oil.
Oil is an attractive nuisance. Attracts gangs of men with guns. While Iraq has oil, Iraqis do not have oil and never will. Observe the richest newly developed countries are those with absolutely zero resources, Hong Kong with nothing but rock, Singapore with nothing but sandbanks.
I find it strange (not because I disagree with the thrust of James' arguments, but because he's usually bent on an idealist crusade) that I completely agree. I'll find if odd if the US regime finishes the term without attacking another target that (a) doesn't have much in the way of self defense and (b) is in the way of bringing oil to market. -j -- Jamie Lawrence jal@jal.org "Remember, half-measures can be very effective if all you deal with are half-wits." - Chris Klein