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  •  By 2010, Iraq (none / 0)

    will be either part of a greater Iran (an add-on to a Talibaptist super-state spreading across the Middle East and rolling over secular nations) or merely a Shiite client-state/protectorate of Iran, the way Puerto Rico is a protectorate of the U.S.

    It's why they are following their current nuclear strategy. They have the location, the Shiite population majority, the net-surplus of oil combined with the high prices to generate the resources needed for this Talifest Destiny.

    The U.S. is currently playing into the Iranians' strategy with insistence on the January vote that will strongly favor Shiite populations (unless the Bush Junior Admin sends Mr. Blackwell to Basra to surpress the votes of Shiite true-believers).

    By crushing the most "powerful" secular state in the Islamic world (Iraq) since 1990, U.S. foreign policy is creating a power vacuum for the Talibaptists to expand into.

    Certainly sad. Most likely scenario to come to pass.

    by Big Jack Stark on Tue Dec 21, 2004 at 10:42:12 PM PDT

    •  Brain-drain of US elections to Iraq (none / 0)

      You expect fair elections for Iraq?
      .
      Controversial U.S. Groups Operate
      Behind Scenes on Iraq Vote
      But in actuality, influential, US-financed agencies describing themselves as "pro-democracy" but viewed by critics as decidedly anti-democratic, have their hands all over Iraq's transitional process, from the formation of political parties to monitoring the January 30 nationwide polls and possibly conducting exit polls that could be used to evaluate the fairness of the ballot-casting.

      "Whispers have been heard the votes will be tallied inside the Green zone because of safety concerns.  A predicted `Warren' type clamp-down to insure proper outcome of the results has not been ruled out. It will be up to Ambassador Negroponte, a majority stakeholder in the territory, to make the final certification on legality of votes."

      "The exit polls can be used as back-up in case of electrical failure of the power node in Bagdad. With all eventualities has been reckoned with. The final count of the election will result in a winner. Negroponte has a vast knowledge of governing from previous post in Central America, Honduras."

      Born a Liberal, voting Liberal, dying as a Liberal: á la Vie á la Mort

      NEW DIARY - PROPAG - GOPUSA in Texas & UA Richard Powell Investigated

      by creve coeur on Wed Dec 22, 2004 at 01:45:13 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Fair/Arguable/Fallout (none / 0)

        No sir, I didn't expect them to be fair.

        But the problem the Bush Junior Administration faces is that Iraqis can count.

        1. There are a lot more eligible voters who primarily identify themselves Shiite than any other "group", political, religious, ethnic.

        2. The areas of the country that are targeted for pre-disenfranchisement (they're not going to even take or count votes from there...Falluja '04, Cleveland '08) are mostly areas without significant Shiite populations.

        By sheer numbers, the Talibaptist-Shiites would have to win, say two-thirds of the votes. Yes, Halliburton can lose a few here and there and even make up the number out of whole cloth, but all the Iraqis, especially the ayatollahs and their (heavily-armed and -funded by American petroleum consumption) Iranian big brothers will not be unexplosive unless they get a working plurality.

        No matter what the media says, there are no "moderate" Talibaptists Americans should be rooting for. And without the secular core the Ba'ath people used to surpress the Shiite majority, the Talibaptists will either control the apparent "government" or failing to achieve that, the Falluja/Mosul level of heat will become standard most everywhere there. It might not happen overnight, but it would be close to inevitable.

        by Big Jack Stark on Wed Dec 22, 2004 at 06:49:28 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

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