Diemen,
#1 I can post the Weapons tables I have on Iraq's military equipment from the IISS(International Institute Of Strategic Studies) which breaks down the quantity and type of military equipment in possession by all countries around the world as well as giving economic and other military data. The IISS "Military Balance" Book comes out on an anual basis and is most detailed source on the topic.
The vast majority of Iraq's weapon's systems came from the SOVIET UNION. As a matter of fact, the United States did not send Iraq any weapon systems during the Iran/Iraq war.
The United States sent a small amount of money, Trucks, Transport Helicopters, Food, computers and other machine parts and raw materials, and biological cultures for medical research. The United States also gave information on Iranian troop positions, information they were getting from the Soviets as well.
Anthrax and E. Coli are NOT Chemical weapons! If the technology and technical ability are available, Anthrax can be weaponized in order to make a weapon.
The United States has never sent weaponized Anthrax to Iraq or any other country! Since Iraq was not under US sanctions in the 1980s, they were allowed and did recieve like most other countries in the world, various biological cultures that have important medical and scientific uses.
The United States never sent Chemical Weapons to Iraq either. Iraq had been producing its own Chemical weapons since the 1970s and its programs were advanced by the Soviets who are #2 after Saddam as far as using Chemical Weapons on the battlefield.
It is true that some mechanical parts and raw materials from the USA could have been converted to help in the production of Chemical Weapons, but virtually any country that ever traded with Iraq could then be implicated. Fact is, many resources have duel uses.
Iraq was the chief client State of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Billions of dollars worth of Soviet material was either purchased from the Soviet Union by Iraq or sent by the Soviet Union to Iraq. The Soviet Union kept 2,000 Military advisers in Iraq throughout the Iran/Iraq war and after and only withdrew them weeks prior to the start of the first Gulf War in 1990/1991.
The Persian Gulf States, Soviet Union and China sent Iraq over 100 Billion dollars in financial aid during the 1980s. The United States contribution was 5 Billion, less than 5% of the total.
That brings me to my next point:
You correctly quoted me as saying : "The United States did not heavily support or install Saddam Hussein"
You then say "No, we didn't support him at all"
But if you look at my original quote, you'll see that I never said that the USA did not support Saddam at all.
"So successful? Oh yes, they throw money and weapons at Saudi-Arabian and Afghani fundamentalists in the hopes of getting Russia out of Afghanistan, which happens, but then leaves a war ravaged Afghanistan alone and practically welcomes the Taliban into Afghanistan as the new government. We can all see what swell guys the Taliban were. nevermind those 'freedom fighters' who turned out to be a swell bunch of guys in their own right."
The USA funding and weapons sent to Afghanistan amounted to a few Billion dollars which is not much money in defense terms. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan provided 2/3s of the weapons and money independently of the USA. The Soviet Union withdrew because they no longer wanted to tolerate the cost of keeping Afghanistan's Communist Government in power nor were they willing to make send the necessary amount of military force to pacify Afghanistan and close its border and cutting supplies for the rebels.
When the Soviet Union left, US interest in the country went as well. Afghanistan then returned what to what had been the norm in Afghan history, warlords controlling bits and pieces of the country with no central government. That was in 1991. The Mujahadeen to a certain degree split up at that time with most of the members forming the Northern Alliance.
It was not until 1996 that the Taliban came into the country from just across the border in Pakistan. Pakistan had a conflict prone relationship with the Northern Alliance and the introduction of the Taliban helped get them off their back allowing Pakistan to send more military resources to its border with India to reinforce their forces there in case full scale war broke out between India and Pakistan.
The USA had no active involvement in the creation of the Taliban or Al Quada.
"Then we throw tons of support behind Israel in the Israel/Palestinian conflict, much to the dismay and anger of practically the entire Arab culture."
Israel was invaded, unprovoked, by 5 Arab countries on the day of its formation in 1948. US aid was vital in helping prevent the Arab countries from overruning Israel which would have led to the mass slaughter of Jews not seen since a few years earlier when Hitler had engaged in it. US support and aid to the ONLY Democracy in the Middle East has been vital to preventing it from being overrun and destroyed by the Arab countries.
"Then we willingly aid Saddam Hussein in the Iran/Iraq war, knowing full well he has gassed Iranians and his own people, and not to outdo ourselves, we sell him more chemical weapons (my, we are a peace loving bunch, aren't we?). And we all know how well Saddam turned out."
The USA sent some aid to Saddam in the 1980s, but it did not send any weapon systems. It did not send Chemical weapons either. Iran was the USA's chief Ally in the region with the exception of Saudi Arabia. When Saddam unfortunately invaded Iran, the USA provided a small amount of support to help insure that Iran would not win because of the cost of Iranian victory could have meant Iranian control of Iraq and the entire Persian Gulf region.
Fact is, Iraq was already a client state of the Soviet Union and recieved nearly all of its weapons from the Soviet Union, while most of the money was supplied by the Persian Gulf States as well as the Soviet Union. Support from the United States was a tiny fraction of the total.
"Many high-figure Republicans (including the Bushes) ally themselves very strongly with Saudi-Arabian royalty who are known to be a not so tight-knit and indeed quarrelsome bunch (but hey, they've got money, and money talks!), and indeed some Republican families and businesses (and again, the Bushes are here too) even had extensive business dealings with the bin Laden family - and oh look, the vast majority of the 9/11 hijackers turn out to be Saudi Arabian."
The strong relationship between the United States government and the Saudi Royal family was started by Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940s. Ever since then, both Democrats and Republicans have had strong ties to the Saudi Royal family. Ever Presidential administration of the United States has had strong ties with Saudi Arabia since the 1940s.
Usama Bin Ladin picked the nationality of the hijackers because he knew it would be an effective way to drive a wedge in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States. He wanted 9/11 to be conducted by mainly Saudi individuals in his camps so that he could get the American response and charge typified in your response that Saudi Arabian Government and or general population helped out with 9/11.
