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elSicomoro · 10-05-2001, 10:29 PM

In the somewhat-related department, I wrote an essay regarding debt relief a little over a year ago. It was during the IMF/World Bank protests in Washington last April.

While Afghanistan is giving bin Laden refuge, I wouldn't necessarily say that he has the support of an entire country. The same thing with Pakistan.

This just came to my mind. The "turning point" with bin Laden seems to be the US being on Saudi soil during the Gulf War. Now then, Iraq went INTO Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War (at Dhaharan). So, here is an aggressor (a Muslim country) going onto "sacred soil" (Saudi Arabia). Iraq probably could have taken some Saudi territory if they hadn't encountered American forces. So I guess my question is, why is bin Laden going headfirst after the US, when his own "people" invaded his homeland? It seems a bit contradictory. Or was he already looking at the Americans as "aggressors" and the Iraqis as "freedom fighters?" But if that were the case, was he agreeable with the invasion of one Muslim country (Kuwait) by another (Iraq)?

10-05-2001, 10:29 PM	#9
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	In the somewhat-related department, I wrote an essay regarding debt relief a little over a year ago. It was during the IMF/World Bank protests in Washington last April. While Afghanistan is giving bin Laden refuge, I wouldn't necessarily say that he has the support of an entire country. The same thing with Pakistan. This just came to my mind. The "turning point" with bin Laden seems to be the US being on Saudi soil during the Gulf War. Now then, Iraq went INTO Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War (at Dhaharan). So, here is an aggressor (a Muslim country) going onto "sacred soil" (Saudi Arabia). Iraq probably could have taken some Saudi territory if they hadn't encountered American forces. So I guess my question is, why is bin Laden going headfirst after the US, when his own "people" invaded his homeland? It seems a bit contradictory. Or was he already looking at the Americans as "aggressors" and the Iraqis as "freedom fighters?" But if that were the case, was he agreeable with the invasion of one Muslim country (Kuwait) by another (Iraq)? Last edited by elSicomoro; 10-05-2001 at 10:33 PM.