At 9:00 PM 9/16/96, jim bell wrote:
condition which is forced on the victims. In addition, you almost always find that these starving countries have well-supplied militaries, defending the local warlords against each other as in Somalia. Indeed, in Somalia the incoming food was actually used to buoy up one group against another, because access to it is controlled directly or indirectly by the factions.
The reports that the U.S. spent $100 million supporting the Kurdish struggle against the central government is a related point. The $100 M went into weapons, food, etc., which the U.S.-supported side used against the Iran-supported side. Then the U.S.-supported side allied themselves with the central government, however temporarily, and is not engaging in a "mopping up operation" (translation: summary execution of all members found of the losing side, including wives and children). Our $100 million helped wipe out the "losing side" Kurds, and also strengthened the previously-poor reputation of Saddam Hussein (who just got a unanimous vote of support from the Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo...this likely explains why the weekend's predicted massive raid on Baghdad was shelved...Clinton is already backpedaling, and may send Hilary/Hillary to Baghdad to help the Baghdad "Save the Children" chapter). (Note: Only this last point, about Hilary, is made up...the rest is what is actually happening.) --Tim May We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1,257,787-1 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."