The Final Hours
While the world awaits President Bush's speech (8:00 PM Eastern Time), it is edifying to observe current events now that it is clear that France, Belgium, and Germany have failed in their attempts to prevent military intervention from deposing Saddam. With the liberation of Iraq now in the foreseeable future, how is the world reacting?
US and European stock markets climbed, contrary to predictions of many protestors. However, some Asian markets declined due to war fears. I believe these opposite reactions make sense. Financial markets abhor uncertainty. Yesterday, the Coalition of the Willing made clear that Saddam would be quickly deposed despite the objections of others. Western businessmen clearly believe that their local economies will improve once the war is won. However, Asian markets with large Islamic populations are fearful to what war might bring. Will some of the Muslims in their country react violently to the deposal of Saddam? Hopefully not, but I expect the markets in these countries to be very volatile for the next week or two.
Saddam is making final preparations for attack. Hans Blix might be surprised to learn that Iraq is reportedly distributing chemical weapons to the Republican Guard, although this information has not been verified. An Iraqi chemical weapons official was shot recently while trying to escape. The Iraqi sources said that, in a chilling attempt to ensure that the location of the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) remained secret, the SSO members who concealed them were executed. Al-Tikriti then tried to escape. "I think that he knew he would be executed after the killing of the people who participated in the burial of the WMD" said Abu Hajjaj, an Iraqi exile. Those who support the status quo should know that:
Further evidence of merciless oppression has emerged in another incident. Several weeks ago, the Iraqi president decreed that anyone discussing reports that he might step down to avert a war would face execution. According to a western intelligence source who has verified the information, an Iraqi civilian named Mohammed Hadid, was later overheard talking of Saddam's possible exile. He was arrested by members of Saddam's Fedayeen, a militia headed by the president's eldest son Uday, and brought to Baghdad. There, he was tied to a post, his tongue was cut out and he was left to bleed to death.
Yet another reason to liberate Iraq - and as quickly as possible.
