On the Chalabi indictments
Well, first, it really couldn't have happened to a nice pair of guys! How are the mighty fallen, eh? From schmoozing with Laura Bush at the State of the Union to international ignominy within a bare seven months...
Having said that, I should add that I actually feel rather sorry for Uncle Ahmad Chalabi... I can't believe I am writing these words... but it turns out the amount of counterfeited "old dinars" they are charging him for is around 30,000 old dinars, or about $2.
Truly, with all the problems Iraq is facing these days, the idea of launching a court case, extradition attempt, etc., around that charge is quite mind-boggling.
Or, dare I say it, plainly political?
Uncle Ahmad is now in Iran, having no doubt greased his way in there with a few well-placed donations... Actually, I'm sure they're delighted to have him. (1) They can maybe carry on milking him for good, 'insider' info about the Bushites and their current acolytes in Baghdad. (2) They can keep an eye on him. (Surely no-one in the world would any longer trust this guy further than they could throw him?) (3) If the price is right, they can "give him up" to the highest bidder, should they choose to do so.
It's young Salem, though, whose situation seems really intriguing.
(1) The case that Iraqi judge Zuhair al-Maliki has brought against him is much more serious than the one against Unca Ahmad. He's accused of murder in the case of the death in June of Haithem Fadhil, director-general of the Iraqi finance ministry, who'd been looking into Chalabi family finances.
(2) He's been the lynch-pin in organizing Saddam's trial there in Baghdad. So now, evidently, the whole course of that trial is in question, too.
(3) He's in London. We'll have to see what the British authorities decide to do about him.
Well, I'm too tired to write much more about all this right now. Sometime this week, when I have the energy, I want to write a longer post here about all the many ways in which the situation in Iraq seems to be imploding. So fast... So tragic...
I know it doesn't help any to say this, but maybe it's worth reminding ourselves anyway: It didn't have to be like this. George W. Bush and the ignorant bunch of ideologues you have around you: you all have a lot to answer for.
Helena,
A few stray thoughts about the Chalabi arrest warrants:
1) No question at all that it's 100% political.
2) Without a doubt the current so-called "Iraqi" so-caled "government" doesn't say anything or do anything without orders from or the approval of their masters in the Republican Palace and Washington DC (`Allawi has certainly come full circle in that regard, hasn't he, from Saddam's Republican Palace to Negroponte's Republican Palace).
3) It looks to me like getting Chalabi by charging him with counterfeiting a couple of dollars worth of dinars is a "get him on whatever you can prove" move. I was reminded of that huge mobster back in the '30's - what was his name? They couldn't get him for any of his murders, robberies, and so on, so they put him away for tax evasion.
4) It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that both Chalabis are behind the murder of Haithem Fadhil. I absolutely DO believe the allegations that they had used their position to steal a great deal of real and other property - that whole family has a history of thievery of one kind or another - and I absolutely do believe they would stop at nothing to avoid being caught out in their thievery of what appears largely to have been the property of the Iraqi people. Of course, unlike the thug Iyad `Allawi, the Chalabis would have found a way to do it without dirtying their own hands.
5) Dilip Hiro, whom I usually listen to seriously on the subject of Iraq and Iran, seems to think charging Salem Chalabi has something to do with demands the Iranians are expected to make to include Saddam's crimes against Iranians in his putative trial. Apparently Salem has been invited for a visit by the Iranian government. Either Hiro isn't making any sense, or I don't understand his point. The idea just doesn't add up for me.
6) Be sure this has SOMETHING to do with US domestic politics - everything the Bushies and their agents do in Iraq does. Just what they are hoping to accomplish remains to be seen, but no question at all that scapegoating is at least part of it. And what lovely scapegoats those Chalabis will make!
(email address deliberately misspelled; "hotmail", not "hotmial")
Dear Shirin,
I was wondering if you would describe the crew currently occupying government offices in Iraq as being dominated by the Iraqi National Accord (INA). Here is my post in which I speculated that it was. Please let me know what errors I might have made in my analysis (sources & methods here).
If so, would it be true that the INA is beholden to the Saudi government?
Respectfully yours,
JRM
Shirin-- I agree with you that Hiro's thesis (as described by you) would seem to make no sense. Actually, it puzzled me, when Salem C and his people described the charges against Saddam, that they had included the crime of aggression against Kuwait but NOT the one against Iran (where the human losses--on both sides--were so very much huger; where there was considerable evidence of the use of chemical weapons; where the 'political' advantages inside Iraq of launching such a charge would have been generally more favorable than for the Kwt charge; etc).
In addition to which, there was Unca Ahmad, hand-in-glove with the Iranians... I guess that led me to think that there might have been a serious difference between the two of them, with Salem much more in the pockets of the Israelis/Americans (and we know why the Americans--esp Rumsfeld--didn't want all the events of the 1980s dragged out in public, don't we?) and Ahmad proceeding with building his relationship with the Iranians...
Anyway, no doubt there will be many further developments in all this. It would read like a particularly gripping soap opera--the Sopranos!-- except that the shenanigans of in particular Mr. No. 1 Snake Oil Salesman Ahmad Chalabi played such a huge role in jerking the (extremely willing) Bushies into the war.
Indict all of 'em is my simple reaction: Rumsfeld, Cheney, the Chalabis, Bush, Allawi, Wolfowitz, Feith, Sharon, Allawi's dreadful coterie of ex-Baathist colleagues in the so-called government, etc etc etc.
Posted by viagra at 20.08. 2004 18:48:35 for http://www.viaga-viagra.greatnow.com powered by car hire at http://www.car-hire.greatnow.com and diecast http://www.diecast.greatnow.com
Google is very nice :) Google is very cool. 02.09. 2004 08:56:34
Whether you have a rigid online poker strategy in mind before you hit the table or whether you play it.
Texas hold'em is the most popular
poker game in the world. The action is fast and you can make it even faster,
because our website's software allows you to play up to three holdem tables at
once. Free poker is a great way to sharpen your poker strategy and try some new
plays.Play texas hold'em games, omaha
high, omaha high/low split (Omaha 8), 7 Card Stud,
texas hold'em tournaments and, of course,
absolutely free online texas hold'em at our
texas hold'em rooms.
http://www.carmenfan.com
Welcome to HCHCinc.com -
Online Poker Guide and Free
Online Poker Directory. We offer
comprehensive information and reviews about
Online Poker sites, Online Poker Rooms,
promotions, official poker rules, supplies, etc. Best of all - our reviews are
fully objective and we never serve any pop-up ads! With our site you will
understand that Online Poker Games are the
best way to cure lack of money, loneliness and even bad mood ! With the help of
our site you will become a master of Online
Poker ! Online Poker Tournaments will
be your hope, dream, and faith ! Luck will never leave you while you are
exploring our site, it's a hint, folks!
http://www.hchcinc.com
Playing online texas hold'em has
never been more fun, realistic and exciting. Play
online texas hold'em games against
poker players from around the world . Our
online texas hold'em rooms have been designed and tested by the pros to
create the most authentic poker game experience you will find online. Whether
you play online texas hold'em for fun
or for money, it is all free and the
online texas hold'em tables are filling up. Enjoy the
online texas hold'em action now!
http://www.mnfastpitch.com
Texas Hold ?em online poker is not an easy game to play well. To become an
online poker game expert you must balance many concepts, some of which occasionally contradict each other. In 1988, the first edition appeared. Many ideas, which were only known to a small, select group of
online poker rooms players, were made available to anyone who was striving to become
play online
poker an expert, and the hold ?em explosion had begun. ">http://www.thecraftersgallery.com
Since we started playing at online texas
holdem poker rooms online casinos, we are constantly seeking to find the
best online texas holdem rooms and
online texas holdem casinos to play
and gamble at. After experiencing tens of
online texas holdem rooms and online
texas holdem sites , we chose some of the best and You can find them here at
this website . Why did we choose these and not others? In our minds, the main
criteria for judging an online online
texas holdem room and casino are payout percentages, bonuses and the
online texas holdem gambling and
betting players and operators quality. Plus, each of the casinos and
online texas holdem rooms that has
made it into the list has passed our test for honesty, reliability and
exceptional online texas holdem
customer service. These test were done by us, and also by many of our friends
who we share our experience with. The trusted
online texas holdem rooms and casinos
below are the ones we both highly recommend .
http://www.johnhowesatty.com
Welcome to
TheMailingConsultant.com The goal of this site is to introduce people to
the rewarding game of texas
hold'em poker . It includes articles on the rules of
texas hold'em poker game ,
poker hand rankings, basic texas
hold'em strategy, tables on odds and probabilities as well as some other
helpful articles.This is a free
texas hold'em poker resource page, providing poker strategies and tips to
get your game in shape. Whether you
play texas hold'em poker for
fun with your friends or for real money at a
texas hold'em poker casino or
texas hold'em poker rooms ,
we'll show you how to improve your game and increase your chances at success.
">http://www.themailingconsultant.com
Free Poker Rooms is your one stop
source for the hottest Online Poker
Games that offer free cash or an incredible first-time deposit bonus. All of
these sites offer excellent customer support, a variety of games, and thousands
of real players . Free Poker Rooms
offers the best Online Poker Rooms
and Free Poker Tournaments on the
net with a variety of tables and limits for poker players at every skill level .
Tens of thousands of players play online poker daily on
Online Poker Free, and there are
many good reasons why! Here are the largest
Online Poker Rooms in the world
and we offer a variety of Free Online
Poker Games and Tournaments, including Texas Holdem, Seven Card Stud and
Omaha high/low .With thousands of players
Online Poker Free provides the
best in live, multi-player online poker, offering a wide variety of
free online poker games and
daily, weekly, and monthly free poker
tournaments with generous cash prizes. Guaranteed security and fairness !
You should enter the most inspiring and resourceful online poker site on the web! We are happy to present you with the most informative piece of data you can find on the online poker. The best of online poker tips, online poker tournaments, online poker strategy, ponline pker games, online poker rules. To satisfy your curiosity, click on the online online poker news, and if you wish to download online poker, please do so http://www.online-poker-online.us !