Iraq's neighbors' opposition to invasion is understandable

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Sept 16, 2002 | by Jon Basil Utley

The comforting propaganda of the "War Party" that a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq would become a prosperous democratic nation that supports U.S. interests [fair comment, Aug. 26] is a fairy tale. We already have evidence that Washington will pay billions to destroy a nation, but pay peanuts to rebuild one, e.g. Serbia and Afghanistan (where nary a highway has been repaired).

Also, this would be Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's objective on the theory that any new Arab regime would be equally as anti-Israel as all others. So Israel's interest, to the extent it influences Washington's policies, would be to have no rebuilding of Iraq.

Then there's also the possibility, warned of by Arnaud de Borchgrave, that Saddam, in his death throes, might contaminate the oil fields of Kuwait and/or Saudi Arabia with chemical or biological weapons.

Given the above, one can well understand why Turkey and Jordan oppose a U.S. attack.

Jon Basil Utley

Washington