Claymore, read references in previous posts to the situation in northern Iraq where Kurds presently have autonomy and are terrified that the US will pave the way for Turkish incursion. (They know very well how Turkey treats its own Kurdish population.)

The US has some notion that it can keep the Kurds out of the assault on Saddam. They don't know the depth of feelings they're meddling with. But having rendered an oil-rich nation nearly defenceless, I suppose that to simple minds it must now be an irresistible target.

In all probability however it will spark off a whole series of conflicts. Totally unnecessary, as Saddam IS destroying his defences, however slowly and grudgingly. And in the meantime he is in no position to threaten anyone. (Except fellow Iraqis, but as I've often said, if that was the real concern here, then something would have been done by now about the SEVEN MILLION MDC supporters and Ndebele who are facing mass, orchestrated starvation in Zimbabwe.)

If the world's strongest nation, having led the world in encouraging recognition of international law and principles such as not attacking if you haven't been attacked, is now going to go round beating up the weakest nations whenever it feels like it, regardless of the UN charter, and in defiance of world opinion, then I'm all for the smaller countries kitting themselves up with nuclear capabilities as fast as they can go. You will remember of course that this coming war on Iraq was planned by Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Jed Bush & co long before 9-11, and that Iraq had sod all to do with 9-11 anyway.

I'm not sure what the reference to the "keys of heaven" was all about, as Iraq is one of very few secular regimes in the region (Turkey is another). As Martin Amis wrote last week, when it comes to religion, Bush is the primitive, not Saddam.

Troll: yes, I would say the US is a bit better developed on the military front that North Korea, but it's only a hunch. And that's before you take NMD into the reckoning. But naturally I'm counting the scores of US airbases around the world. (I wonder why the US recently vetoed that proposal to ban weapons in space, by the way?)