The most important question to ask when thinking about the international situation and all the conflicts that exist is who are the troublemakers? and Who is threatening a country s right to self-determination, to choose a system and path of it s own choice? Almost seven years have passed since the Gulf War between the U.S. and Iraq. Even after the war is over the U.S. still has 20,000 troops stationed in the Gulf and many naval fleets and spy planes also. The monopoly controlled media and the U.S. imperialists claim that it is Iraq that threatens peace in the Gulf. They claim that Saddam Hussein is building weapons of mass destruction and that this is unacceptable and therefore they must intervene. The U.S. is using United Nations inspection teams to find out just what weapons are being built and to report it to the U.N. Recently, Saddam Hussein disallowed the U.N. inspections teams to do this and specifically the Americans accusing them of being spies and infiltrators. He has also threatened that they will begin to shoot down the U.S. spy planes, which are to aid the inspections, and says that their presence in Iraq will no longer be tolerated. The U.S. is frustrated because Iraq will not come under its dictate and they refuse to stay out of the internal affairs of Iraq. The U.S. was quick to threaten to launch military actions against Iraq if they do not change their minds. Meanwhile the people of Iraq are waging, almost everyday, anti-America demonstrations, burning the American flag and shouting slogans like "down with the U.S." The U.S. imperialists are the troublemakers and are the biggest threat to peace in the world and should stay out of the internal affairs of Iraq and all other countries. It is they who have weapons of mass destruction spread about all over the globe, in almost 100 countries, and it is they who attack any country that chooses a system that is not to its liking. It has committed the most horrible crimes in history. Even with the issue of banning landmines the U.S. refuses to do so because they "have to protect South Korea" from the North. They try to justify their military presence in all these ountries by parading around claiming they want to ensure peace and want to protect their global interests. Their interest in Iraq is to exploit the oil resources and control the Middle East. Their only aim is to enslave the people of the Middle East and make maximum profits for themselves. All justice and peace loving people of the world should have no illusions of who are the troublemakers and menaces to world peace. They should condemn the U.S. imperialists demanding that they withdraw their troops from all the countries they occupy and let the people of those countries decide what kind of system and future they want! Ottawa High School Student TML DAILY, 11/97 Shawgi Tell Graduate School of Education University at Buffalo [EMAIL PROTECTED]