Did the US "sell weapons" to Iraq?

[Makalakumu]

It's obvious to any reasonable observer (i.e. anyone who knows what is trying to be insinuated by the phrase "The US is responsible for arming Iraq") that you have fallen far short of supporting that assertion...

Any reasonable observers out there? What do you think?

 

[KOROHO]

Yes, we did arm, Iraq, mainly so they could defeat Iran.
We also armed Osama so he could fight the Russians in Afghanistan.
Then they turned on us.

Had anyone ever taken the time time understand the arab mentality and thier creedo "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". perhaps we never would have gotten involved in thier wars.

Any arab/islamic nation will pretend to be our ally if we agree to help them fight thier enemy. Then at the end of that war, when we expect them to still be "our friend", they act like the 5 year old who says "I had my fingers crossed so I never was your friend".

This is one of the teachings of the koran - to lie, cheat and steal to get what you need to serve your cause.

 

[pstarr]

We've done the same thing for several nations that ultimately turned against us. The fact that we've done business, whether it be selling arms or quilts, to a given nation doesn't mean that we can never justify having to fight them.

 

[shesulsa]

YThis is one of the teachings of the koran - to lie, cheat and steal to get what you need to serve your cause.

It is? I have the Q'oran ... could you point me to a passage or two which outlines this?

 

[Don Roley]

We also armed Osama so he could fight the Russians in Afghanistan.

Actually, no.

We armed several groups inside Afganistan so that they could fight the Soviet Union. The price was that they would follow certain standards. If they were more interested in things outside the strategic goals of the US, then there was no money.

Osama Bin Laden actually gained fame among the guys that would not deal with the US under these terms by using his wealth to fund them and keep them independent. The name he uses for his group reflects this status as a base for those that followed "true" Islam and would not bend to the will of America.

Thus when the guys we now know as the Northern Alliance were attacked by a later group called the Taliban, many of the guys Osama financed threw their lot in with them and he gained leverage in the new goverment.

The Taliban were a group that came along after the US pulled out of the great game being played inside Afganistan and orginized by Pakistan's internal security service. They picked up some people that had fought against the Soviet Union. But for the most part the guys the US financed and who spent time fighting the Soviets were part of what was later called the Northern Alliance that was almost wiped out by the Taliban.

 

[Andrew Green]

Yes, we did arm, Iraq, mainly so they could defeat Iran.
We also armed Osama so he could fight the Russians in Afghanistan.
Then they turned on us.

How did Iraq turn on you?