Nature Abhors a Vacuum

As is being widely reported by the media, the level of violence in Iraq shows no signs of abating; indeed it is worsening.

This outcome should hardly come as a surprise to people> Once the rigid command and control system, that operated under Saddam Hussein, was removed (an nothing effective put in its place) the stresses and tensions of a society governed and held to together by fear would find an outlet.

These "stresses" are being exacerbated by groups with their own agenda.

The question remains, why did the occupying powers not have adequate plans for the aftermath of Saddam's regime?

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Saddam's Legacy

President Bush, speaking at the Freedom House Organisation yesterday, said that Saddam Hussein exacerbated ethnic and sectarian divisions within his country in order to keep himself in power.

Bush noted that the "toxic atmosphere" in Iraq "bears witness to his terrible handiwork."

Bush added:

"Much of the animosity and violence we now see is the legacy of Saddam Hussein".

The president noted that before Saddam, Iraqis from different ethnic, tribal and religious communities managed to live together.

Quote:

"To prevent these different groups from coming together to challenge his regime, Saddam Hussein undertook a deliberate strategy of maintaining control by dividing the Iraqi people."

Adding:

"It is hard to overstate the effects of Saddam's brutality on the Iraqi nation these wounds will take time to heal."

The president noted that the removal of Saddam Hussein was "the necessary first step in restoring stability and freedom to the people of Iraq."

He stated:

"For the Saddamists, provoking sectarian strife is business as usual."

The question remains, how will the near civil war in Iraq be stopped?

Saddam Gives Interview From Prison

The following are excerpts from a phone interview with Saddam Hussein, conducted by Al-Fayhaa TV on March 28, 2006.

In the interview Saddam responds to a taped message issued by his former vice president and loyalist 'Izzat Al-Duri, who addressed the Arab League summit in Sudan.

The source for this transcript is The Middle East Media Research Institute.

If the interview is genuine, it appears that Saddam is dellusional. However, there is a strong possibility that the interview is fake.

Saddam Hussein: "All 'Izzat Al-Duri ever wanted was to address the Iraqis as their leader, even if just for a few short minutes. Everybody remembers that he once addressed the Iraqi Women's Union without my knowledge. Do you know what I did to him?"

Interviewer: "We don't know. Tell us."

[...]

Saddam Hussein: "The first thing I did when they brought him was to spit in his face."

Interviewer: "Why?"

Saddam Hussein: "I said to him: 'You despicable man, I spit on your owl's face. How do you address these glorious women without me knowing about it?'"

[...]

"The only one who makes speeches in Iraq is the supreme leader - meaning me.

"At this point 'Izzat Al-Duri pulled out his handkerchief and cried. I said to him: 'Look 'Izzat, this time I forgive you, but I swear by my honor, and the honor of the history of the Arab nation, that if you ever repeat this mistake I will cut your tongue off.'"

Interviewer: "And now he has repeated this mistake, as you call it, and has published a statement addressed to the [Arab League] summit, as was mentioned on one of the television stations."

Saddam Hussein: "I didn't hear the speech, because I'm in prison."

[...]

"Even though I am in prison, I don't allow anyone to speak on my behalf, so long as I live. I am still the president."

[...]

"Internet... Whatever... I give speeches without fearing anyone. I give speeches face to face..."

[...]

Interviewer: "You're in prison. How can you give speeches?"

Saddam Hussein: "That's a good question. You watch the court sessions. How many sessions have there been so far? Fifteen sessions?"

Interviewer: "Seventeen."

Saddam Hussein: "I give a speech at every single session."

[...]

"If I don't give speeches, I get heartburn.

"If 'Izzat Al-Duri is alive and he can hear me, I want to address him, through you, and to tell him to beware."

[...]

"Isn't this a disgrace? The leader of the Arabs - 'Izzat Al-Duri speaks on his behalf?! 'Izzat Al-Duri doesn't even know how to stand at attention. He should speak on behalf of Saddam Hussein? Any speech that doesn't receive my signature is unofficial, illegitimate, and illegal."

[...]

"He should beware and shut up. Why does he make speeches and exploit state funds? I left the funds under your responsibility. Billions of dollars... I left you the funds and you should use them properly. He goes and blows up mosques, markets, and schools."

[...]

"I know that people who listen to me might think that Saddam Hussein has become apathetic in prison and stopped supporting terrorism. No. I'm not ashamed to tell you that Iraq without Saddam Hussein isn't worth two bits. Therefore, it will make me happy if Iraq turns into dust."

Interviewer: "This reminds me that in one of your speeches, you said that you would leave Iraq a country without a people."

Saddam Hussein: "What is the people worth without Saddam Hussein?! What is it worth? Iraq is entirely Saddam Hussein. 'Long live Iraq' means 'long live Saddam Hussein.' What is Iraq worth without Saddam Hussein?"

Interviewer: "You keep on with those slogans? You still cling to them..."

Saddam Hussein: "I was brought up on it. How do you want me to go back on this? Iraqis hear these things about me as soon as they come out of their mothers' wombs."

[...]

"I repeat: Iraq without Saddam Hussein isn't worth two bits. Therefore, it will make me happy if Iraq turns into ashes.

"I call to punish 'Izzat Al-Duri, because he burned my heart."

Interviewer: "Why, because he published a statement without your permission?"

Saddam Hussein: "He gave a speech without me knowing it. The punishment that I want for him is to cut off his tongue and ears."

Interviewer: "Why cutting off his tongue and ears?"

Saddam Hussein: "To make him the same as all the renegades whose tongues and ears I cut off. And if 'Izzat Al-Duri continues giving speeches in sign language, like the deaf do, I demand that his hands be cut off. And so on and so forth, until 'Izzat Al-Duri is finished, and we get rid of this degenerate."

Bush Loses Interest in Iraq

In a press conference last week, President Bush let slip that he has lost interest in Iraq and that American forces are likely to stay there for years.

Speaking during his conference on the 21st of March, President Bush said of the return of American troops:

"That, of course, is an objective, and that will be decided by future presidents and future governments of Iraq."

The fact that he refers to future presidents means that the timescale must be looked at (from Bush's perspective) in terms of many years, and that he has lost interest in finding a solution.

He believes that there is nothing he can do. An impotent president is the last thing that America or Iraq needs at this stage.

Although Bush is trying to walk away from the problem, it is more than likely that the escalating situation in Iraq will force him to address the issue and to take responsibility for what he has done.

Pre Invasion Planning

It is reported that during the planning by President Bush and Prime Minister Blair in the run up to the invasion of Iraq, the president was certain that war was inevitable.

During a private meeting in the Oval Office on January 31 2003, he made it clear to Prime Minister Blair that he was determined to invade Iraq without the second UN resolution, or even if international arms inspectors failed to find unconventional weapons.

The two leaders thought that a quick victory was likely, and that the transition to a new Iraqi government would be complicated, but manageable.

Bush predicted that it was "unlikely there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups."

Blair agreed with Bush's view.

In retrospect their assessment of the situation seems flawed.

The Dirty World of Espionage

It seems that as American forces were entering Iraq, the Russian ambassador was feeding Saddam Hussein information about the US strategy and troop movements.

That at least is the story according to the Pentagon, who issued a report on the matter yesterday.

The Russians, seemingly, were telling Saddam that they obtained the information from sources inside the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Doha.

However, it seems that key details provided to Hussein by the Russians were wrong.

At this point I would suggest that the Americans probably knew full well that the Russians were playing dirty, and were most likely feeding them false information.

Five days after the invasion of Iraq the Russians sent a report to Saddam.

It warned that as U.S. forces moved from Kuwait, troops would bypass Iraqi cities and instead occupy the countryside, thereby isolating the rest of the country from its western border.

On April 2nd 2003, Iraq's foreign minister sent a memo to Hussein telling him that he had information from the Russian ambassador in Baghdad. The memo said that U.S. forces would not invade Baghdad until after the 4th Infantry Division arrived.

Needless to say the intelligence proved wrong, as sure as eggs are eggs the Americans were wise to the Russians game and were feeding false information.

Nonetheless, the Russians have some explaining to do!

UN Rebukes Australian Government

It was revealed yesterday that the UN has delivered a stern rebuke to the Australian government, for stonewalling its own investigation into kickbacks to Saddam Hussein.

UN investigator Paul Volcker apparently described Australia's attitude to his investigation as "beyond reticent, even forbidding" at a meeting in New York on February 7 2005, according to an internal government report released yesterday.

Volcker rebuked the Australian Ambassador, John Dauth, after learning that Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer had refused his UN investigating team permission to interview Australian government officials personally, as well as blocking access to classified Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade cables.

Mr Volcker had been investigating companies abuse of UN sanctions against Saddam. The Australian wheat company, AWB, was the worst offender; paying almost $300M in bribes to Saddam.

The Australian government has always claimed that it has co-operated fully with the Volcker Panel.

Clean hands?

Secrets For Cash

Naji Sabri, foreign minister to Saddam Hussein pre invasion, reportedly told Western intelligence agencies before the 2003 invasion that Iraq had no active weapons programs, but that it was stockpiling chemical weapons from the Iran-Iraq war.

Sabri was allegedly paid $100K, via a third party, to pass the information on to French intelligence, which shared it with the CIA.

After the invasion Sabri called Britain and the U.S. "outlaws", and accused the coalition of exploiting Iraq for its natural resources.

Gaddafi Speaks Out

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said that the trial of Saddam Hussein is illegal under the Geneva Convention.

He was quoted yesterday as saying:

"He cannot be tried."

He went on to claim that Saddam was a "prisoner of war", and as such should have been released by now.

Gaddafi also dismissed the election last year of an Iraqi parliament, saying that it was invalid because it took place under foreign occupation.

Saddam, in Gaddafi's mind, is still the legal president of Iraq because "he wasn't toppled by his people".

Iraq's Missing Billions

Those of you with access to UK TV's Channel 4, should watch their Dispatches programme at 20:00 tonight.

It will detail where the $20BN allocated to rebuild Iraq has gone.

In a nutshell, it has been stolen.

363 tonnes of $100 dollar notes were flown from Andrews Air Force base into Iraq, during the first 14 months of occupation. The money ended up in the pockets of corrupt businessmen and corrupt officials.

US attorney Alan Grayson is quoted as saying:

"Iraq became a free fraud zone, and in a free fraud zone, you can steal anything you like. And that's what they did".

The people of Iraq have lost out, the members of the Administration in Washington who presided over this disgrace should hang their heads in shame.

There are some very senior people should be going to jail for this.