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Reply To: | St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List |
Date: | Thu, 12 Sep 2002 22:12:47 -0400 |
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This just in from my fave "think tank", STRATFOR:
Summary
Saudi Arabia may be subtly shifting its stance concerning a U.S.-led attack
on Iraq. If so, even tacit political backing by Riyadh would make U.S.
military operations in the Persian Gulf considerably easier.
Analysis
London's Daily Telegraph reported Sept. 6 that U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons
and British Royal Air Force Tornado F3s based in Saudi Arabia provided air
cover during a bombing mission against Iraq. Although the mission itself was
widely reported, the claim that the aircraft departed from Saudi Arabia has
not been picked up elsewhere, and officials have neither confirmed nor
denied that claim.
If true, the use of Saudi-stationed aircraft to support bombing missions
against Iraq would signal a dramatic shift in Saudi policy. Riyadh has
refused to allow U.S. planes based in the kingdom to conduct bombing raids
against Iraq, or even, as the Washington Post reported in January, to
transit Saudi airspace en route to or from Iraq. The government has
staunchly opposed a U.S. war against its neighbor, yet it has been curiously
silent in recent days -- even while the United States reportedly is building
up troops and equipment in the region.
Washington repeatedly has declared its intention to remove Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein from power. Doing so would be considerably easier with
political and logistical support from other Persian Gulf states and
especially from political heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
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