Oops, They Invaded the Wrong Country?
A potentially major news story-that Iran had more connections with al Qaeda than Iraq ever did, according to the 9/11 Commission's interim report-has been relegated to the back pages of national newspapers and underplayed by the electronic media. The commission found that as many as 10 of the September 11 hijackers were given safe passage by the Iranians during the year before the attacks. Has the U.S. media already become so cynical about the Bush administration's motives for invading Iraq that this does not even rate a front page news story?
Maybe, privately, reporters are not that surprised that Iran had closer ties with al Qaeda than Iraq did with the terror group. After all, before the war, the U.S. government knew that the most active state sponsor of terrorism was Iran, not Iraq. In fact, Iraq was not very active at all in sponsoring terrorist attacks. Many opponents of the Iraq invasion argued convincingly that Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda had little ideological affinity. Given that Osama bin Laden's main goal is to cleanse the Islamic world of corrupt, secular regimes, it was illogical that al Qaeda and Iraq would have much in common. In fact, the 9/11 Commission has concluded that no "collaborative relationship" existed between Iraq and al Qaeda.
Conversely, al Qaeda and the theocratic Iranian government both promoted radical Islamic rule. According to the 9/11 Commission's interim report, al Qaeda and the Iranian government talked in the 1990's about finessing their Sunni-Shia differences to cooperate against a common foe. The commission also noted that al Qaeda operatives traveled to Iran and Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah camps in Lebanon for military-style training. What a surprise, evidence shows cooperation between like-minded people and no collaboration between those with diametrically opposed agendas!
Even an Iranian threat to U.S. security must be kept in perspective. The 9/11 Commission clearly has no evidence that the Iranians knew about al Qaeda's 9/11 plot in advance .. |
Although a post-war inspection has shown that Saddam had no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and only anemic efforts to reconstitute them, before the war he seemed like a despotic tyrant bent on getting them. Yet, prior to the war and even assuming the worst case for Saddam's weapons programs, the Iranians were known to be ahead of him in their quest to develop nuclear weapons (the only true weapon of mass destruction) and the missiles to deliver them. Furthermore, in conventional terms, Saddam's military retained only one-half to one-third of its fighting capability after the first Gulf War and more than a decade of the most grinding economic sanctions in world history.
In contrast, the Iranian government, effectively still run by radical Shiite clerics, had control of an economy four times that of Iraq, a population three times Iraq's, and a defense budget that was larger than Iraq's. Even before the war, most security analysts concluded that Iran was the bigger threat.
But the question remains, a threat to what? Even an Iranian threat to U.S. security must be kept in perspective. The 9/11 Commission clearly has no evidence that the Iranians knew about al Qaeda's 9/11 plot in advance; most of the hijackers didn't even know the details of the attacks beforehand. Iran's nuclear and missile programs are primarily a threat to its neighbors, not to the United States. Iran will take some time to develop and produce a missile that can hit the United States. Once Iran possesses missiles and a few nuclear warheads with which to arm them, the United States would still be able to deter an Iranian nuclear attack with the thousands of warheads making up the most potent nuclear arsenal in the world.
And that's lucky because the United States is unlikely to be invading Iran any time soon. Iran, through questionable information passed through Ahmed Chalabi and his intelligence chief, has cleverly managed to induce the United States to take out its chief regional rival-Saddam Hussein-and at the same time bog the United States down in a long-term quagmire. But even if the U.S. military weren't so entangled, the much larger, mountainous, and more populous Iran would be much more difficult to conquer than the comparatively smaller, flatter, and less populous Iraq. And even the latter is proving difficult and unpopular back in the states.
Given that Iran was more of a threat, was the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq undertaken to have a "demonstration effect" to scare the stronger Iranians into better behavior? If so, the intervention seems to have had the counterproductive effect of spurring Iran to covertly accelerate its nuclear program. Also, it demonstrates only that the best way to fight the Americans is with guerrilla warfare. Anyway you cut it, the radical Iranian regime is the main beneficiary of the naively muscular U.S. policy toward Iraq.
Ivan Eland is the Director of the Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute in Oakland, California and author of the book, Putting "Defense" Back into U.S. Defense Policy: Rethinking U.S. Security in the Post-Cold War World.
Topics: Al-Qaeda, Iran, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, Terrorism
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Now to the issue of Israel being a Jewish state - 90% of the Jews in Israel are not ethnic jews, meaning they do not descend from Noah's son Shem, nor do they descend from Prophet Abraham, upon whom be peace. They are rather Eastern European, and Russian European in ancestry, and primarily originate from the Caucasus mountains, north of Armenia and Georgia. The jews in Israel may be called Jewish by creed, but ethnically, the vast majority of them are not Sephardic/ethnic Jews, but they are Khazarian/Ashkenazim Jews. Thus, they have no claim to the land of Palestine/Israel, because they do not originate from there as an ethnically jewish people. The only Jews who are truly Semitic Jews are arab speaking from the Middle East, the Maghrib (North Africa), and Ethiopian Jews. These are the only Jews who have any historical claim to Israel.
Next time ehadas, think of it like this, if you are a Catholic whose ancestors are from Massachussets, does that mean that you have a right to return to Nazareth, Jerusalem, or even Vatican City? That's right, you do not have any right to claim it as your land - but even Italian Roman Catholics from Italy do not go crying to the world to let them return to Vatican City, do they? Or do you think Muslims who are from Pakistan go crying and demanding the world to let them (Pakistani's) to return to Jerusalem or anywhere else in Palestine just because they are Muslim? NO, because Palestinians, whose ancestors are mixed with Canaanites, Sumerians who used to rule over the region in back in 6000 B.C., have more right to that land than even Sephardic Jews of 2000 B.C.
Anti-Semitism claims are inapplicable to Khazarian Jews of the world.
Real Eyes Realize Real Lies.
You threw the "bloody racist" accusation out at Chris without thinking it through. Just because you disagree with someone is no reason to try and manipulate someone on the defensive with the race card.
As for your other comments - Israel is definately NOT a Nazi state - think about it, why would Jews live there if it were? Unless of course, you are one of the few who do not believe the holocaust ever happened? In spite of documentation to the contrary?
The author is a dedicated Bush-bashing defense expert from the Muslim-friendly American state of Iowa. Yes, I realize that I am a registered member of the Republican Party - but I also want what is best for the Ummah. If Kerry wins, you might start seeing the author's name appearing elsewhere. But I also want what is best for my country. At what point must my country's leaders (and future leaders) responsibly conclude that the Ummah's spokespersons (and future leaders insha'Allah) are incapable of analytical thought? Personally, I would prefer to go forward (rather than back) to the Golden Age of Islam.
Wassalam warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu.
Oh - and, Chris, what difference would it make WHEN they acquired WMD. Regardless, I trust that the "evidence" has been safely destroyed. And if U.S. forces knew there was no WMD then why would they bother starting when the moon was nearly full - and seemingly more to the point why would they suffer racing through the desert wearing rubber suits? Personally, I think the Reagonites resolved the WMD problem itself in a somewhat Islamic manner. My thinking is they avoided ill-speech and strove to do rightly - at least with regard to WMD. (Peace and God's mercy and blessings.)
If UN sanctions being violated was ever the issue, why not invade Israel ? They've written the book on violating all sorts of UN sanctions. Rank Hypocrite
Remember!!! Ariel Sharon haughtily says: "...Israel owns America..."
SO Why blame Iran for supporting whatever terrorist groups?
Solution: IRAN MUST DEVELOP WMD. No body would be blaming Iran if Iran had NUKES to deliver to U.S. cities in the blink of an eye. & the thugs in the U.S. gov't know that very well.
Iran MUST develop WMD, unless the "HOPE-BOY" of America is voted out/kicked out of office by Florida supreme court judges this coming November. SEND the HOPE-BOY, Bush jR, HOME to the toxic RANCH in TEXAS!!!
To summarize for U.S. public- Before pointing fingers at others, point them (fingers) at yourselves. That's the only way to avoid FUTURE BIG BANGS in the USA.
& In addition, the U.S. public need to stop acting stupid. They need to understand that they can't live peacefully if their gov't is killing Muslims like cattles directly or indirectly (by terrorist states) all around the world. It's very simple.
Sorrow Tidbit: I feel sorry for the U.S. public. It's hard to believe they are dying for their current moronic gov't. It's time they start watching news from foreign countries, not just be brainwashed by FOX NEWS, which is the mouth-piece for the current court-appointed administration.
Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Rajiun!
This is the next agenda folks. As for Iran, Syria, Israel is now to finish the job..Or is it? How these imbeciles have taken the entire world(not even the world of the Muslims) for a long ride, is mind bogling! And the rest of the world are just watching helplessly. Going to the UN which =US will not solve the problem, folks. It is of utmost importance now, for Iran or even North Korea to produce their nuclear weapons at least if not to use it, but to check the callousness of these thugs that are hijacking the entire human race to doom. May Allah continue to protect His faithfuls and all those who are willing to stand against these vagabonds.
That is basically what I myself was hoping would be happening more than a year ago. To some extent it now is (for which I am grateful).
It is not alqaeda connection.US invaded that the country under the pretext of wmd and as Tariq Ali says "they made it sure before invading iraq,it did not had wmd" If there had been traces of wmd they would have not destroyed the country.