This is on the AP wire services. Today, Saturday, December 18th, Iraq formally rejected a new U.N. policy that would return weapons inspectors to Iraq. Later on Saturday, at a medals ceremony, Saddam Hussein said, "After this long period with them (Americans) they must have learned some lessons, otherwise they are stupid since the beginning and will continue to be stupid until the end. At the end they must learn a good lesson." In my opinion this suggests that Saddam Hussein knows full well that he has the upper hand now. That the U.S. and western nations, dependent on oil, are possibly facing an oil shortage due to Y2K. He knows that if that crisis hits big time, the demand for oil at any price will sweep away sanctions. He only has to stall for another two weeks.

-- Linda (lindasue1@earthlink.net), December 19, 1999

Answers

Great catch Linda - I fully agree with you - he's up to something, and of course his buddy Bush senior knows all about it too...

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), December 19, 1999.

A colleague of mine from Hopkins is Iranian and her Dad works for the World Bank. From what she tells me, American's "all or nothing" diplomacy is viewed by the Mid East culture as childish and ignorant. Their culture views true diplomacy as bartering. In her eyes, Americans act like naughty spoiled children and should be treated as such.

Having worked with her for years, Saddam's remark sounds like a "save face" infront of the locals. The reality would be that he feels emasculated by his failure to remove our presence from his sandbox.

He has been threatening for years, and has yet to pull off a significant assault. The locals are probably sick of this speech by now, and so react to him the way we react to Kosky being our "y2k Czar".

FWIW, my colleague told me there was a strong movement to have Saddam "retired", but his son (who has been in charge of hiding the bio weapons from the UN, etc.) is reportedly much more extreme and ruthless than he, so it has been in the US interest to keep Saddam in power.

Anyway, It's her opinion, so just another way of lookin' at it...

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 19, 1999.

"At the end they must learn a good lesson." Wonder what he meant by that?

Reminded me of an article I found in the library...World Press Review, July 1994, page 51, BRAZEN LIES' ABOUT ISLAM, written by Dr. Mustapha Mahmoud

"They talk through dozens of mouths. The United Nations, the U.S. Congress and all newspapers are their mouthpieces, and their voice is magnified enormously. They own the arsenals of Israel, America, and Europe, and maybe the Russian arsenal as well. This alliance unites them all against Islam and its symbols.

But we will witness the end of this ascent in the coming five years. History and events have accelerated; although in the past empires took hundreds of years to fall, they can now topple in weeks or months. The Israeli ascent is artificial,based on ignorance and false power. Its fall will be louder than the Soviet collapse. and the lesson will be much stronger. Allah bestows power on whomever He wishes and removes it from whomever He wishes.

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Does Saddam know something? Or was this an ideal threat against Israel? IMO they couldn't do anything against Israel without drawing US into the conflict. First?

-- Mark Hillyard (foster@inreach.com), December 19, 1999.