There is few doubt about the fact that the coalition will eventually win the war in Iraq. But when, and at what expense ? This military victory could be a painful experience for the USA.
Who will really benefit from this war ?
- Not the Iraqi people. A war lasting for month could turn into a nightmare for them. And the after-Saddam will be a time of chaos.
- Not the Middle East. Tension is growing in Palestine. Peace will be harder than ever to achieve .
- Not the USA. The human and economic cost of this war is going to be the major issue of the next elections. I hope at least Bush will lose.
- Not any European country, since Europe now appears weak and divided.
- Not the UN, which has lost its ability to solve peacefully world problem.

Sadly, Ben Laden and Saddam are already the great winners of this war. With a popularity rising amongst hundereds of thousands of people in the world, they are now becoming true heroes in the eyes of the many muslim people upset with the American. Even if Saddam dies, the rumor of his escape will endure. With so many "doubles", there will always be a doubt on the identity of the dead for those who want to believe their "hero" is not dead.

You are full of crap. Please shut up. Everyone will benefit from this war except pinkos like you because it damages your ego.

Sadam and Bin laden heros PPLLEEAASSEE!!!! Lets get real. Almost every Iraqi citizen hates Sadam or is just to afraid to say so. Where do you come up with this crap, I quess Hitler must have been a hero also. I have to go use the bathroom now, I'm laughing so hard I think I'm going to pi** my pants.

The funniest part is that the Iraqis won't benefit from this war. What a joke.

Part of what Astrapol says is valid. Both obl & saddam are folk heros to many in the arab lands. Remember a lot of what you've read in other places. Many of the youth in those lands do not attend regular school, rather they attend religious/political indoctrination asylums run by mullahs. All these youth know is what the mullah preaches, and a large part of that is constantly reinforced by the society they live in. They've no idea why they hate the US, they only repeat what has been melted into their brains. The iraqi idiot pays the families of suicide bombers $25-35K for their deeds. In many cases that's 10-15 years worth of wages all at once. obl went to war...regardless of how cowardly and barbaric we view him, against the Great Satan, and by his view point, he scored a major victory.
On the other hand, the outcome of the war will benefit millions. The Iraqi population will recover from their decades under saddam within a few years. The iraqi idiot will fade from memory as conditions improve within their borders. The overwhelming impact of the US military will undoubtedly have an effect on various peace talks held in Israel and other countries. Sometimes one just has to kick some ass to make others listen to reason. Arafat needs to disappear before the Palestinians can expect to gain anything resembling peace.
As for the US elections, I'll say to you the same thing I say to anyone else: "If you don't vote, you can't bitch."

The war will not have much of an economic impact. The total cost is about 1% of the US GDP. Compare that to other wars - Vietnam was 12% of the GDP each year. The civil war was 120% of the GDP.

The Iraqi people will absolutely benefit in the end.

I think it's true that Europe (not the UK) and the UN will not gain anything.

It will be the same 3% of the world's population who own the US military, who own every transnational corporation, every natural resourse they have stolen from every country they sent US soldiers into, to "free" from some 'evil" dictator, and who control the world's economy through their privately owned, for profit insitutions - namely the FED, the IMF and the World Bank.

What on earth makes you so naive to think that your votes matter in the least . All that matters to your "gov't" is that you THINK they matter. " All that is necessary to fool the people into believing they have a democracy - is to create the ILLUSION of one. " Every presidential candidate that even gets to run for office has long ago been bought off by the corporations who run your country. Wake up!

hahahahaha willow you are hilarious

That is just the kind of mass ignorance they KNOW they can count on - from so many just like yourself - to continue on with their charade.

Willow - yes it's tough for the US to be the most prosperous & advanced nation on earth. The wealth of the US was created by the people of the US - they didn't have any special head start or advantage. Tough for the rest - but nobody stopped them doing the same.

Of course the US will now act to continue it's monopoly and position for as long as possible - every other nation if it were in the position of the US would do the same thing.

You have a 6 TRILLION DOLLAR NATIONAL DEBT, and you STILL believe you are prosperous????? Your country hasn't got dime one to it's name. Any thing you people THINK you have $$$ wise comes to you courtesy of the FED which is a privately owned for profit co. and which is the US arm of the World Bank/IMF who own you lock stock and barrel, and who can cut off your line of credit in a heart beat.

Willow I think it is time to go back on your meds. I have a question for you when is the last time you voted or tried to change any type of gov. policy?
If you feel so strong about your views what are you doing to try and prove them? (and I don't mean coming here and whinning)

Are you doing research or are you just reading someone elses point of view? If you are just going by someone elses point of view are you not just as blind as the people you talk about.

Willow - we don't think we are prosperous - we are prosperous.

It's a closed system - with most of the wealth residing here. Any national debt is a paper exercise, the actual asset based wealth in the US makes the national debt look like 1 cent. Beyond that - the national debt is 6 months GDP.

You need to go back to the economics books and study harder.

Rude, crude & socially unacceptable are traits that might be used to describe me with certain accuracy at times. Naivete' is certainly not one of them.
You present as though you're not from the US. I suggest that you direct your energies toward repairing the ills of your country rather than maligning mine.
As I said in an earlier post: "if you don't vote, dont' bitch".

If you have all this wealth how do you explain the fact that yor gov't can't provide even a few million for food and shelter for starving and homeless people and kids?

Do you know how much the US spends on Welfare & medicaid?

Lets just say that it is more than the majority of the GDP of many nations combined, for a population that is small.

Starving & homeless people have another option - get a job.

Nobody in the US dies of hunger unless they choose to.

You can say what you like, but the simple fact is that the US is a wealthy country with a great standard of living & is a place where almost anybody can succeed through hard work. There is nowhere else I would even consider living.

Where are you from Willow - some backwater country that wishes it was the US? or are you in the US and just mad at the world because you were dropped on your head as a baby?

voting because I KNOW better. You on th e other hand have SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much yet to learn.

how little you know Drew.

Willow - all you say is crap like that "so much to learn..." "you just don't know..."

Whatever. You are just a semi-irritating insignificance.

I don't need to learn that type of crap. When you are well off and living in the US - then life is good.

more power to you.

Life is good here. I've lived & visited many countries outside of the US, and there's just no place on the planet like here. From the place where the sun rises first in the lower 48 until it burns into the ocean west of Hawaii, there's absolutely nothing else even remotely close. Sure, we've got our blemishes. Show me somewhere they dont'. This place is wide open, pretty much do anything you want and have fun doing it. Why do you think so many want to come & live here? It's all about the American Dream. Where any kid can grow up and be the next Bill Gates, or Henry Ford, or __________ the opportunities are there.

you can condone the whole sale enslavement and killing of innocent children to support the shallow, materialistic livestyle you have, become accustomed to and which you place a higher level of value on, than you do on human lives.

If we all came cruising to America who would be left in 3rd world countries to work for slave wages to produce, or assemble the furniture, appliances, toys you play with, every thing you eat, drink, drive, wear, wear out and throw away for the new piece of crap to hit the market. The American dream can only be maintained so long as you can live with blood on your hands.

so what do you suggest?

I know it is a privilige to live in the US, I know that a lot of people in the world don't have it so lucky. But that's life. I don't lose a wink of sleep over it - sorry. They wouldn't lose a wink of sleep either if the tables were turned. Certainly it is good to be aware but you can't beat yourself over the head with it. You sweep with a broad brush by saying people live a materialistic and shallow existance - speak for yourself.

Nobody gave the US it's position, it was created with the blood, sweat and tears of generations. Other countries are not the responsibility of the US - but the US still provides billions in aid to these countries.

A lot of goods sold in the US come from China, and a lot of companies aim to be sensitive to exploitation - of course a lot don't, but that's capitalism - if you can differentiate a product and charge more by saying it wasn't made with slave labor - then you have a winning proposition. The US is wildly successful for good reason.

The problem is - you state a load of guilt ridden garbage - but you don't have a single proposal.

(Willow)Well you answered one of my questions you said you don't vote, that shows me that you don't give a damn. My other question is what are you doing to try and prove your point or to change things?

You may be right my vote may not make a difference, but atleast I try... If I disagree with something the government is doing then I send a letter to my congress if enough people believe the same as me and send letters then congress won't be able to ignore the problem. I think your getting your personal problems mixed up with the over all picture Remember this country runs on the majority not the minority. It is good that you care about the way America is run, but instead of just b***hing why not do something, this is still a free country you can always voice your opion publicly and find out how many people believe the way you do. Who knows maybe there are enough people out there that believe in SOME of the things that you do, so maybe if you got together with SOME of your issues maybe you could change part of the system.

I disagreed with the seat belt law, the helmet law and many other things, but the majority of the people believed in them so I lost. That doesn't make America a bad place it just means there were more people for that certain topic.