Irene,
We threw them out of society? Not true, Irene. Nassar, the first Baathist was assassinated as was his successor. The Muslim Brothers took the blame for that, but Sadat’s successor wasn’t a Baathist. So perhaps the Muslim Brothers kicked the Baathists out of society in Egypt. But Saddam was very much a Baathist. Actually Baathism was whatever Saddam said it was, and he said it was the secular equivalent of Khomeini’s revolution. It was Pan-Arabism which was the secular equivalent of the idea of the restoration of the caliphate. Just as Sayyid Qutb taught that there should be no borders the Ummah, so did Saddam teach that thee should be no borders in Pan-Arabia. One view had the Ummah led by the Caliphate, the other had it ruled by Saddam.
I don’t think we need to try any more nation building in the Middle East as it exists today. And there will be no charming people to our side. The truth is whatever the most influential person says is the truth. If Saddam said he won the first Gulf War, then he won it and was greatly admired for doing so. We will be listened to if we are great warriors like Saddam. We won’t be listened to if we behave like people Arabs hold in contempt.
No, we can win wars, but we can’t rebuild Arab nations very well. The war college is recognizing this. All the focus, all the war-gaming has been on winning wars. No one has been trained in what to do with the defeated people after the war is over. So far we have no law against being rich, nor even one against making as much money as you can. I would rather start with all those rich empty-headed movie stars. Let’s arrest them first. Also, the news anchors, the talking heads who are paid obscene amounts of money. Let’s arrest all of those. And then the football and baseball players. It is scandalous how much they get paid for playing silly games.
Ah, you don’t like rich CEO’s? What would you have us do with them? Would you like to see a new law created that has them arrested? Something along the lines of what the Soviets did after their Revolution?
As I said, or at least implied, while we don’t need Iraq’s oil, we are the guarantors of Liberal Democracy at present and anything that doesn’t flow smoothly, especially oil is a concern. We couldn’t very well let China’s economy fail for lack of oil now could we. Who would buy all our bonds?
Lawrence