Will the US allow that?

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
We can send in Al Gore to do it for us. His last attempt to steal the election was foiled last time, but now that he's had some practice he should be better at it.

Naah, better leave this job to a pro. George Bush will be looking for a new job in a couple of years.

[Sir Og]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
It's not like the US has much of a choice, unless we decide to permanently occupy the country.

Well the US will have to stay in Iraq at least until all the lucrative contracts that are being handed to US companies are carried out.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by MRT144
republicanism at its best i suppose.

Lest we forget the Democratic machine in Chicago.

[LoneWolf]

Well, the Israelis are the only ones to show the ability to create a democratic government in the Middle East. Why not let them run Iraq?

[Az]

Oh no, mister. You created this mess, you handle it!

[LoneWolf]

Originally posted by Azazel
Oh no, mister. You created this mess, you handle it!

Yes, fine, but would it not be sweet to have an Israeli Viceroy?

[Az]

erm, NO?

[LoneWolf]

Oh, come now, with American boots on the ground? Would it not be fun?

[Az]

Well, if you guys will pay for that...

[LoneWolf]

We're paying for it one way or another...

How about Netanyahu as Supreme Administrator?

[MRT144]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Lest we forget the Democratic machine in Chicago.

Democrats and republicans alike. but when the democrats do it, its so much more blatant, its really emberassing.

[Serb]

Originally posted by paiktis22


Of course that begs the question: Bush is being lobbied by the oil indutries?

Of course not. They just bought new bike for him and he only wants to return the favour.

[Darius871]

Originally posted by Sava
resisting urge to yell "I told you so"

...except you can't because you know that 12,000 people don't speak for the entire country. If you looked at 50,000 anti-war protesters in New York, would you assume that the vast majority of the United States agrees with them?

OF COURSE people would want neither America nor Saddam; this doesn't necessarily mean a thing about Iraq as a whole. The fact is we'll never know what most Iraqis think.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by Sir Og


No. Just making sure that the country remains secular.

Btw what’s with that Christian population. Apolyton sources range from 3% to 33%. Can somebody provide a reliable link with information on the subject?

I don´t know how realiable the CIA is as a source of information
but th World Factbook 2002 says:

Religions:
Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Source: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/...k/geos/iz.html

[Proteus_MST]

Aside from Iraq becoming a muslimic state I see the danger of Civil War and Iraq splitting apart.

The whole situation reminds me of Yugoslavia.
As in Iraq there was a single ruler who governed the country (Josip Broz Tito) and just like Iraq the country was inhabited by different ethnic/religious groups.
After Tito died in 1980 it was just a matter of time til the tensions among the ethnic groups rose, some of the yugaslavian repuclics declared independence and a bloody civil war erupted.

It may be that in Iraq it was Saddam who kept the country united (although more with the use of brute Force against opposition than Tito did in Yugoslavia) and that now that Saddam is gone the tensions between Sunnites, Shiites and Kurds could possibly grow stronger within the next years.