At 01:55 PM 4/8/2005 -0700, Nick wrote: >> "In the Persian Gulf region, the presence of American forces, along >> with British and French units, has become a semipermanent fact of >> life. Though the immediate mission of those forces is to enforce the >> no-fly zones over northern and southern Iraq, they represent the >> long-term commitment of the United States and its major allies to a >> region of vital importance. Indeed, the United States has for >> decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional >> security. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the >> immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force >> presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein." > >That certainly fits with what I've heard from returnees from Iraq -- we're not >rebuilding Iraq, we're building U.S. bases.
So, do you think that, unlike in the cases of France, Spain, the Philipines, Saudi Arabia, and Okinawa, if the Iraqi government were to ask the US to leave, that the US would not do so? JDG _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l