http://www.geostrategy-direct.com/geostrategy-direct/secure/2005/1_11/me.asp Neighboring dictatorships secretly take aim at Iraq elections The Iraqi elections planned for Jan. 30 could hold the key to U.S. policy in the Middle East and the war against terrorism. U.S. officials say the failure of the elections would mark a tremendous victory for Sunni insurgents and could result in either civil war or the collapse of the interim government in Baghdad. The U.S. intelligence community has also warned that the Iraqi elections would also serve as a litmus test for whether Arab dictatorships can resist democracy in the Middle East. The community has determined that a successful Iraqi election process would galvanize the region and bolster pro-democracy forces in such countries as Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria. As a result, intelligence sources say, several Arab countries are quietly sponsoring efforts to torpedo the Iraqi elections. Several Arab countries have scheduled elections in 2005 but don't want them to result in significant changes. Saudi Arabia has been pouring a huge amount of money and quite a few nationals to bolster the Sunni insurgency. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld agrees with the importance of the elections and the goal of a democratic Iraq. He told U.S. soldiers over the past weekend that Iraq is fundamentally important to the entire Middle East. "If you are successful here, if we are successful here, if the coalition is successful here, think what will have been lost to the extremists," he said. "If the extremists are able to take this country back and turn it back to darkness, something will have been lost, an opportunity will have been lost that was historic." The Iraqis have to be convinced to stay the course and fight the insurgents. The ever-patient Rumsfeld has become skeptical that Iraqi politicians have the courage to maintain the vision of a democratic society. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
