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Any US plans to train a Iraqi opposition force is not a welcome sign. When the US encouraged a an overthrow of Saddam Hussein during the 'Gulf war' they were hoping for an 'internal coup' ideally from inside the military, a man who would retain an iron grip on the country but refrain from threatening US interests in the Gulf. However when the uprising came it was led by tens of thousands of iraqi people in the north and south. The Kurdish people took control of a large section of northen Iraq. Washington was not predisposed towards any political figure or organization in Iraq if one had emerged strong enough to replace Hussein. But the fundamental interests of the western powers and the US clients in the region coincided with certain interests of the Baathist regime in Baghdad: none wanted the mobilizations in iraq to continue; none wanted a wider fight for Kurdish autonomy; none wanted a prolonged period of political instability in Iraq and most importantly none wanted the opening of more political space in which Iraqi workers and peasants could organize, resist, and set an example for other the many other oppressed populations in the region. In conclusion then, US interests lie in forging stronger ties of US domination with a subjugated Iraq, if the US is now training/backing an Iraqi opposition force in it can only be for one of to reasons. It is either a facade, or through contacts in the Iraqi military ( the report mentioned two fromer officers were to be trained) the US is exploring the possibilty of replacing one Hussein with another in a coup d'etat. In other words return Iraq to it's pre-Kuwait invasion state. A US client that waged a brutal war against Iran (backed by the west, or more correctly pushed) and carried out a long history of murderous assaults on the Kurdish people as it still does today. Many others have commented on this issue. I felt it the issue needed some context and historical perspective although there is still a lot more to say. M -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To be removed/added, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk, NOT the whole list. Please do not send emails with attached files to the list *** Archived at http://linux.clare.cam.ac.uk/~saw27/casi/discuss.html ***