Payback - French, Germans and Russians barred from Iraq contracts

[Q Classic]

Get over yourselves,

You don't want to go to war that is your right. However, don't delude yourselves that your companies would get involved in Iraq for the good of Iraqis. European buisness operates on the same motives as all other buisnesses, their own profit.

don't delude yourself that american companies are going over for the good of the iraqis.

your total refusal to go to war to liberate the Iraqis

the initial charge to war had nothing to do with 'liberation'.

[DinoDoc]

Much ado about nothing. The spoils of war usually go to those who contribute.

[Q Classic]

exactly.

canada did contribute though, especially with aid. granted, they didn't really support military action, but surely that aid should count for something ?

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Much ado about nothing. The spoils of war usually go to those who contribute.

Only in barbaric times.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Q Cubed
exactly.

canada did contribute though, especially with aid. granted, they didn't really support military action, but surely that aid should count for something ?

I dunno why they aren't the list. Maybe it has to do with not liking Quebec?

[Richelieu]

That's OK: we don't like Bush either.

[Cruddy]

I'd be surprised if they would have wanted any reconstruction contracts. You're either out or in - and those places were definitely out.

There's also the sticky point of foriegn workers needing protection - none of those countries would depend on the coalition troops to protect them.

[DAVOUT]

There is no hurry in negociating construction contracts, the US Army is still demolishing buildings and houses not flatened in the first pass.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Winston
It's quite laughable that the opposition against taking out Saddam now all of a sudden want to cash in on the contracts.

Well now it's too late to join the Coalition of the Billing.

It's quite laughable that the United States invaded Iraq in the first place to do the same thing -- cash in on contracts.

[DanS]

As an American taxpayer, I have no problem with excluding companies from non-participating countries from being prime contractors on our portion of the aid. It's our $19 billion, after all.

The Canadians can direct their own aid dollars as they wish. If they want to exclude American companies, they are free to do so.

As for France, Germany, or Russia, why any crocodile tears would be shed for them for missing out on contracts for American aid dollars is beyond me.

[Richelieu]

How much of that 20 Bil$ is going to Afghanistan?

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by DanS
As for France, Germany, or Russia, why any crocodile tears would be shed for them for missing out on contracts for American aid dollars is beyond me.

And even still they can contest it on the basis of false justification namely "national security". They can simply claim that:

1) The allocation of said funds to such and such countries' companies but not to others is descriminatory.

2) The reason given is false.

And go to retaliational penalties. But I doubt they'd bother. Irony has some limits.

[Q Classic]

i still don't understand why wolf said it was about security reasons.

i still see it as retaliatory, justified, but petty.

[Bereta_Eder]

I assume it's for internal consumption.

[DanS]

How much of that 20 Bil$ is going to Afghanistan?

$1 billion, IIRC.