[Vick]

Hmmmm
Very interesting reading and thanks to everyone for sharing their insights and opinions

Rolo - I'm not to keen on throwing money (and other resources) at the problems of the middle east (The western democratic world should have massively supported these basic needs) unless we are getting something material and immediate back in return (gratitude has a damn short shelf life)


PD - Guess I'm tying 2 problems together, I see rising oil prices as a HUGE problem

As for a puppet I mean a long term solution not another Shah

As for military might being a deterrent I'm going to go apples to oranges here and say military might of the USA (and the USSR) kept the world from being annihilated from oh about 1960-1995 or so
MAD - mutually assured destruction


I'll go on record again by saying that I'm not sure we even should have went into Iraq
But now we are there I believe we can't just walk away and should work for an acceptable and favorable (to the US) resolution