I thought after everything Spain had been through in the last 100 years--as well as it's long history of conflict with the "Moors" that it would basically give Iraq the finger.
I was wondering if you could expand on this statement, because it currently makes no sense to me whatsoever. (You are aware that Iraq is not in North Africa, yes?)
Quote:
Originally posted by msantti
Newsflash!
Spain caves in to terrorism.
Nonsense. As stated upthread, over 90% of the population of Spain was opposed to taking part in the Bush administration's war on Iraq. Aznar went to war against the wishes of his people and against the wishes of many in his own party. Part of Zapatero's election platform prior to the bombing was the withdrawl of Spanish troops.
What the bombers did succeed in doing was creating an issue that polarized Spanish public opinion in an election week. Aznar looked like he might win the re-election prior to the bombing. He could still possibly have won had he not tried to pin it on ETA. He knew the bombing could be used as a political weapon against him, tried to lie his way around it and got caught out. The bombing also proved that Aznar's decisions on Iraq did nothing to combat terrorism.
Do you imagine for one second that Bush would be re-elected if a second 9/11 occured in the coming months and he got caught out trying to blame it on a Tim McVeigh?
I think that the relation of this to terrorisn is that they are pulling out immediately after Europe's biggest terrorist tragedy . . . in Spain.
Perhaps they would have done it anway, perhaps not . . . it still looks like a vistory for the forces of terror . . . even though i can understand that they would want to pull out.
I am not for America pulling out, but I am for UN (particularly Muslim nations) taking over.
I think that the relation of this to terrorisn is that they are pulling out immediately after Europe's biggest terrorist tragedy . . . in Spain.
Perhaps they would have done it anway, perhaps not . . . it still looks like a vistory for the forces of terror . . . even though i can understand that they would want to pull out.
I am not for America pulling out, but I am for UN (particularly Muslim nations) taking over.
Zapatero ran for office on a pledge to pull the troops out, although segovius points out that this was contingent on the UN acting. I'd love to see the UN act on this as soon as possible. The Coalition of the Willing would suddenly triple in size and I'd expect Spanish troops to be right back in there in no time.
Comments
Originally posted by Fangorn
I thought after everything Spain had been through in the last 100 years--as well as it's long history of conflict with the "Moors" that it would basically give Iraq the finger.
I was wondering if you could expand on this statement, because it currently makes no sense to me whatsoever. (You are aware that Iraq is not in North Africa, yes?)
Originally posted by msantti
Newsflash!
Spain caves in to terrorism.
Nonsense. As stated upthread, over 90% of the population of Spain was opposed to taking part in the Bush administration's war on Iraq. Aznar went to war against the wishes of his people and against the wishes of many in his own party. Part of Zapatero's election platform prior to the bombing was the withdrawl of Spanish troops.
What the bombers did succeed in doing was creating an issue that polarized Spanish public opinion in an election week. Aznar looked like he might win the re-election prior to the bombing. He could still possibly have won had he not tried to pin it on ETA. He knew the bombing could be used as a political weapon against him, tried to lie his way around it and got caught out. The bombing also proved that Aznar's decisions on Iraq did nothing to combat terrorism.
Do you imagine for one second that Bush would be re-elected if a second 9/11 occured in the coming months and he got caught out trying to blame it on a Tim McVeigh?
135,000 US troops
11,000 UK troops
2,000 Australian troops
200 Polish troops
70 Albanian Non Combat troops
278 Romanian Land Mine Removers
10 Chemical/Biological weapons detectors from the Czech Republic
500 Japanese Non Combat troops
500 South Korean Non Combat troops
1 submarine, 1 warship from Denmark
300 troops from the Netherland in Turkey on Iraq border (but not in Iraq)
150 Bulgarian Non Combat troops
That's all I could find........
There's what's left of the "Coalition of the willing"......
Interesting that private businesses constitute the largest partner of the 'coalition'.
Originally posted by Fran441
So who is left in Iraq?
135,000 US troops
11,000 UK troops
2,000 Australian troops
200 Polish troops
70 Albanian Non Combat troops
278 Romanian Land Mine Removers
10 Chemical/Biological weapons detectors from the Czech Republic
500 Japanese Non Combat troops
500 South Korean Non Combat troops
1 submarine, 1 warship from Denmark
300 troops from the Netherland in Turkey on Iraq border (but not in Iraq)
150 Bulgarian Non Combat troops
That's all I could find........
There's what's left of the "Coalition of the willing"......
Uh.. there are about 1200 Dutch marines in the south of Iraq
Interesting that private businesses constitute the largest partner of the 'coalition'.
Yay just like Vietnam! Civilians in uniform! Working for Halliburton must be fun. I want an internship there.
Coalition of the not-prepared-to-be-bullied-or-suck-America's-winkie-anymore.
What do these posts have in common?
Originally posted by Hassan i Sabbah
Now Poland is getting cold feet too
What do these posts have in common?
I think that the relation of this to terrorisn is that they are pulling out immediately after Europe's biggest terrorist tragedy . . . in Spain.
Perhaps they would have done it anway, perhaps not . . . it still looks like a vistory for the forces of terror . . . even though i can understand that they would want to pull out.
I am not for America pulling out, but I am for UN (particularly Muslim nations) taking over.
Originally posted by pfflam
I think that the relation of this to terrorisn is that they are pulling out immediately after Europe's biggest terrorist tragedy . . . in Spain.
Perhaps they would have done it anway, perhaps not . . . it still looks like a vistory for the forces of terror . . . even though i can understand that they would want to pull out.
I am not for America pulling out, but I am for UN (particularly Muslim nations) taking over.
Zapatero ran for office on a pledge to pull the troops out, although segovius points out that this was contingent on the UN acting. I'd love to see the UN act on this as soon as possible. The Coalition of the Willing would suddenly triple in size and I'd expect Spanish troops to be right back in there in no time.