okay um
let's talk talk about the Middle East situation
the US involvement in
i guess even though
now that it's all over with you know it's
well it is over but i don't think we're out of there by any means and uh and i wonder are we going to set up uh you know peace keeping type forces for long term and
you know is that something we should do or shouldn't do i don't know
i don't know uh i understand that the US talking about leaving
more of its planes and things over there uh i guess they uh
they were anti US in that region and now they're you know like Syria and uh
um Egypt you know had some had some pressure against the US but now they now and they wouldn't allow us to have a base in the region but now i think they're rethinking that
i think that's true because i think they saw the support that came through
that's right
the other thing that i think is good for like American businesses are to be involved is the the reports that i hear back and of course on the news i i try to
listen and and also read between the lines you know
uh-huh
but uh they said that because the Americans
you know took such a proactive stance involvement involvement in the war that like so much of the building business and rebuilding Kuwait and things like that will go to American businesses where as before they may be dealt with Japanese firms or other people they said even though the Japanese
um-hum
were involved monetarily uh they fill like the first first priority ought to go to American businesses which i guess will be good you know which will be good for our economy
right right
but i you know when
since they have get so much of our money for from oil anyway
boy don't you know i mean we don't seem to slow down even when there's a crisis
no no um yeah i think that's that's a nice gesture on the Kuwaiti government part to do that and uh
but i
yeah
and a few people i guess will make a few people pretty wealthy in construction and so forth
i imagine your oil companies they may see a probably the first big rise in business they've seen in years
i'm
right
go over there and rebuild all those
um-hum
i think it's such a shame that
Iraqis had to just go destroy everything everything i was just
i do too
i mean what's what good is that i mean if i can't have it you can't have it you know that sounds like something a little kid would do you know
yeah but look at their war that was his whole war is is i'm not satisfied with what Iraq has i want what everybody has
that's right
and and you're right it's like you you you see two little pre school kids fighting over a toy you know
um-hum um-hum
so i i'm a little concerned about you know i know they're putting President Bush right now in uh awkward position concerning the the
the uh
the treaty over there right now you know what the what am i trying to say
the uh deal with the uh supporting the uh Kurds
well supporting the Kurds but um
you know where the the cease fire i'm trying i forgot yeah you know because he
right right the cease fire
he wants he wants them to uh uphold their end of the deal as far as the cease fire but at the same time he's not wanting to go in and say okay i'm gonna fight your war for you which which i think is is right
right
you know if it's an internal thing i don't think we can walk in and say gee i think you're right you're wrong you know we're not the judge and jury
um-hum
uh but i know that that's causing him a little bit of unpopularity with the people over there because they feel like geez you you told us to stand up against him but you're not helping and so i think he's in a pretty awkward position now and i i i think we ought to help
got to help us
right
you know
maybe supply some arms or something
yeah supply arms support them if they need help but i don't think we ought to be over there fighting it for them and and so i think he's done good on that stance
yeah i think Bush handled has handled this uh whole situation quite well
he stood up to to the bully and uh
yeah
didn't back down and uh and uh uh Saddam Hussein miscalculated all along
boy i would say
thinking that it he wouldn't commit US lives and and forces and and monies
to just to liberate a little country
that's right
and uh
and uh then then he underestimated underestimated his ability to uh to uh
wage a war with us i mean uh it's one thing when we all came over there and said okay here we are get out
and he said no i'm i i can i can win a war with you guys
yeah yeah
and that and that was a a horrible miscalculation i mean
i agree you know they had advertised and and said news that he had the fifth largest army well he may have but you have to well not anymore but you have to have loyalty you have to have people who believe in your cause
uh
not anymore
right
you know if i i i i know they tried to turn it into a holy war because to them that is what's honorable you know to to if you die in in a holy cause but but i think they're smart enough see there was nothing holy about it we just wanted their land and took it you know um
right
yeah
right
yeah he he is not a Saddam Hussein is not a religious person but he uses it
sure
when it when he sees it to his advantage
sure
and uh
and i think the people were smart enough to realize that you know Hussein that that i think they're afraid of him is what they are the population is is afraid to speak out against him and
uh
and uh and i don't think he's going to be there too much longer
well i hope that's true
uh someone's going to assassinate him you know i mean yeah
i would think so i would think that you know it i guess in the back of my mind i think like maybe the Israeli Israeli Massad probably has ideas of going in and you know basically i i thought they uh
yeah yeah
showed a a tremendous restraint in their reactions towards everything and but i don't believe for a minute that that means that they don't have ideas and plans of their own
um-hum
that's right right
uh but i do agree with you i think President Bush handled it all politically very smart you know getting the support of of the other Arabs and other nations in the world and and i think that's how you have to go into something like that
yeah
right right i've heard reports that uh President Bush was staking his future
on this uh this war and that uh setting a precedent saying that
um this League of Nations uh will will always combine against bullies and and to stop this kind of stuff in the world any any would be bully would think twice if he knew that
you know there's this United Nations or world government or whatever they keeps talking about with that that will that the whole world will deal with you
well and don't you feel
and you can't get away you just can't do it and get away with it and you know hoping that you know because it's a it's a world thing and and and and nations will combine against you
that's right
a nd uh you can't you know can't just do this
and don't you think that long term that's been a big boost for the United Nations i mean the United Nations has been there for years but all of a sudden uh
oh yeah
had no had no teeth
yeah there're some teeth behind it and some fact that when they have sanctions and and we support things like this it means something
right
and i think that's good for the strength of the United Nations
yeah
people i uh i guess i feel sorry for just the average you you know Iraqi Iraqi who's had to go through all this and and suffering i'm sure with with no water you know
yeah
and rebuild from nothing
no electricity you know sanitation must be terrible living conditions must be terrible and
yes
yeah
and it's not getting any better the sanctions are still on
that's true
you know except for a few medical supplies they're allowing through now and uh powdered milk i guess for babies and things and
until they i guess yesterday they came out with this uh these these rules i guess or whatever and they for a permanent permanent cease fire and the Kuwaitis
right they supported it
um-hum
Kuwaitis said we don't want to have to go repay Israel for all the bombing we did that was in there you know but that's only fair
that's right yeah they did ask that they build up uh Israel and Kuwait and i think they should have to
yeah yeah
they lost
yeah the it's going to be really tough for them to swallow but but we don't want a Kuwait there that's also you know just has no power at all and and and that you know because Iran still isn't too friendly with them
well that's true
and and we don't want you know it'd be be stabilized to the point where Iran will say now is our chance you know go in and wipe them out and
well i don't think Iran's under the same type of madman type leadership
yeah yeah
but there's always the possibility i guess
yeah yeah since Khomeini died over there things have got a little more normalized normalized not quite as radical a stance more moderates are in power now
i think so
i think i think the person who really maybe at this time has a hard road to tow is uh Jordan's King Hussein because he really
yeah
kind of tried to straddle the fence you know he he wasn't necessarily for Iraq at the same time he didn't feel like everybody else ought to be going against Iraq
was put in the middle
yeah
well yet so many of the his citizens are the uh
the what what Lebanese
yeah
who who were hoping this would get evolve into a war against Israel
right
and uh
trying to connect with Israel all that time and there really was no connection at all
none
and uh but boy those Lebanese in in Jordan they were saying you know this whole war is Israel's fault because Israel told the United States to attack Iran it was all you know like like Israel controls our government
i know and isn't that amazing the way that they'll find their cause and and and no matter what situation they see they're going to find their cause whether it's truly exists or not
uh you know
right well one thing i i did learn is is how deep
yeah
and the the hatred runs toward Israel by a lot of countries
i know
they just hate i mean anyway anyway they can you know
they can see to to to to connect them to something and hate them more i mean just they just
i understand most of the land is now Israel they bought
that's true
actually purchased it and and and then moved in and started a country but
but see you're also getting back to the the ages old problem of Arab Israel conflict as far as personalties and who's the selected one of God and it theirs ties in so much to their religion and
oh
right oh
yeah right right and they both have holy holy sanctions
so it's very different things than what we face