America and the World

Australia and the Iraqi War

2004-11-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

Australia and the Iraqi War

The following information is about Australia. Although you will find statistical information about the country, the focus is an attempt to determine what is being reported in Australia and what the people themselves may be thinking about the war in Iraq.

Australia is a democratic, federal-state sytem recognizing British monarch as sovereign. It is located in the east Asian-Pacific region of the world. Their constitution was implemented on July 9, 1900 and their independence was established January 1, 1901. The country speaks English along with the native languages. Australia consists of 20 million people which make up the following:

Ethnic Groups: 92% Caucasian, 7% Asian, and 1% Aboriginal and Other

Religious Groups: 26.1% Anglican, 26% Roman Catholic, 24.3% Other Christian, and 11% Non-Christian.

Work Force: 4% Agriculture, 22% Mining, Manufacturing and Utilities, 70% Services, and 4% Public Administration and Defense

Major Trade Suppliers: Japan, China, Germany, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Sydney Morning Herald
October 7, 2004

Tom Allard, Defense Reporter

http://www.smh.com.au

"Tearful Hostage Pleads for Troops to Go"

A kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan made a new appeal for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, Al-Jazeera television said today, showing her in a video.

It was an appeal to Britons to urge British Prime Minister Tony Blair to withdraw his troops from Iraq and not redeploy them in Baghdad, the television said.

Hassan also asked the British government to release Iraqi women prisoners held in Iraq, Al-Jazeera said.

A week ago, CARE Australia, which runs the Iraq operation, already announced it was suspending activities in the country following Hassan's kidnapping, but said it was not withdrawing its staff, who are all Iraqis.

The Green Left Weekly: October 18, 2004

http://www.greenleft.org.au

The Green Left Weekly is Australia's radical weekly newspaper. It conducted a poll and states that it found a startling level of ignorance about world affairs and President George Bush's position on them among it's supporters. The article goes on to state that a large majority of self-identified Bush supporters believed Saddam Hussein had provided "substantial support" to Al Qaeda. Forty-seven percent believed that Iraq had owned weapons of mass destruction before the US invasion.

The report goes on to list the various things that Bush and his supporters believe.

The article concluded by saying that the Democratic Party supporters had a much better knowledge of the world, but that perceptions did not vary significantly by education levels.

Sydney Morning Herald
October 26, 2004

Tom Allard, Defense Reporter

"Zarqawi Group Targeted Aussie Troops"

Australian troops were targets in yesterday's attacks.

They said it was interesting to note that the media had been looking into whether there had been a tip-off in advance of the attack. It was also stated that they expect the Australian Embassy to shift to its new, safer location early next year.

There were three Australian military personnel injured when a terrorist car bomb was detonated as a convoy of Australians light armoured vehicles drove by.

The article stated that the Australian government has no intentions of withdrawing troops in light of yesterday's attack. It is realized that the attackers are trying to destroy the democratic liberal government in Iraq.

Herald Sun
October 26, 2004

Ian McPhedran

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au

"Aussies Hurt in Iraq Car Bombing"

The article begins by stating that Australia suffered its first casualites in Iraq when three soldiers were wounded in a massive car bomb attack on a convoy in the heart of Baghdad.

The article went on to describe in detail the attack and those that were injured, but then concluded by stating the following:

Australia, along with Britian and the United States are the founding member of the coalition, which led the invasion of Iraq last year.
Australian commander, Brigadier Peter "Hutch" Hutchsinon, warned of possible attacks against Australians in the lead-up to the elections in the US next month as well as the Iraq poll.
Prime Minister John Howard is a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq. He sent 2000 elite troops to join the invasion last year and still has 920 military personnel in and around Iraq.

The Australian Sydney Morning Herald
October 26, 2004

Nicholas Rothwell, Middle East Correspondent

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au

"Iraq braces for flood in US poll week"

The article started out by saying that US military planners in Iraq are braced for a week of explosive violence during the run-up to the US presidential poll, after the weekend massacre of 49 Iraqi Army recruits.

Terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his group are prepared to attack and slaughter in large numbers Iraqis working for the US-backed government of Iyad Allawi.

Zarqawi sayd that they killed the men and stole "the salaries they had just received from their masters".

The article states that the militants want to disrupt the US elections as well as the Iraqi elections scheduled for January.

Both coalition and Iraqi troops and police are prepared for one of the toughest weeks of the occupation, but their chief problem is that the precise identity and location of their enemies remains unclear.

Sydney Morning Herald
November 1, 2004

"Hicks Teetering on the Edge of Sanity"

Australian terrorist suspect David Hicks on the brink of insanity, suffering from severe mood swings and not able to comprehend reality.

Hicks believes he will be left permanently scarred from his detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hicks says, "my entire life has become this tiny room and everything else is no longer reality." He also states that "he has become highly confused suffers extreme mood swings."

Hicks has been charged with attempted murder, aiding the enemy and conspiracy to attack civilians, commit terrorism and destroy property.

Green Left Weekly: November 1, 2004

Doug Lorimer

http://www.greenleft.org.au

"IRAQ: US Plans Another Fallujah Bloodbath"

US commanders have indicated they will launch an all out assault on the rebel Iraqi city of Fallujah shortly after the November 2 US presendential election. In preparation for this assault, on October 26 th US military tightened its cordon around the city of 340,000 residents.

The newspaper claims that people of Fallujah appeal to the UN agencies in Iraq to take an active role in protecting civilians and preventing the new massacre which the Americans and the puppet government are planning to start soon in Fallujah, as well as many other parts of Iraq.

The article claims that British Journalist, Peter Graham, of the British Guardian, warns that an all-out US assault on Fallujah would lead to an explosion of anti-occupation anger among Iraqis. He claims that if the Americans attack Fallujah that it will take everything the Americans hae to control the surrounding villages.

The Iraqi President Ghazi al Yawar says there is a good chance that when the marines hit Fallujah again, even Mosul, home to three million Sunnis will explode.

Herald Sun

November 2, 2004

William J. Kole

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au

The article says that as much as 250,000 tons of munitions remain unaccounted for in Iraq, experts have warned. It says that Iraq is awash with weapon sites, some not even guarded.

Anthony Cordesman, a defense analyst and expert on Iraq with the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies contends that Iraq's prewar stockpiles "were probably in excess of 650,000 tons."

The article continues with quotes from various sources on the amount of weapons, where they were, etc.

David Albright, a former UN inspector, said the sheer volume of weapons stored across Iraq should have prompted the US to invite inspectors back to check on key sites as as Al-Qaqaa.

He claims there was a lot of arrogance on the part of the US officials who rebuffed the International Atomic Energy Agency's repeated requests to resume general inspections.

Sydney Morning Herald

November 4, 2004

Tom Allard, Defense Reporter

"Zarqai Claims Cadet Slaughter"

The extremist group led by Iraq's most wanted man today claimed it carried out the shocking roadside massacre of almost 50 unarmed cadets. The new Iraqi soldiers were found dead beside a remote road after being executed by attackers while returning home from their final training course. It was a single bullet would to their heads in one of the deadliest attacks against the country's fledging security forces.

The article reported that the recruits, who came from all over the southern provinces of Iraq, were mainly Shiite and were returning home on board three buses when they were ambushed in Diyala province. The death toll was put at 48, including five civilians who were drivers.

The anger mixed with grief, shown on the faces of the national guardsmen at the base. One of the guardsmen screamed "this is a massacre, this is terrorism."

News Sources:

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs: http://www.state.gov/p/eap

World Press Review: http://www.worldpress.org

Sydney Morning Herald: This newspaper is published daily in Sydney and is Australia's oldest (1841) and one of its most influential papers. The paper is still owned by John Fairfax, whose family was one of the original founders. The editorial stance is conservative.

The Australian: The Australian is this country's only national broadsheet newspaper. The editorial values focus on leading and shaping public opinion on the issues that affect Australia. The paper aims for factual reporting and penetrating analysis. They seek to take their readers beyond the "spin" of the political, business and sport press release machinery.

Herald Sun: The Herald Sun is part of the Herald and Weekly Times Pty Ltd (HWT). As of October, 2004, the Sunday Herald Sun has become the fastest growing newspaper in the land. HWT's newspaper interests date back to the launch in 1840 of The Port Philip Herald. Since 1987, HWT has been a division of News Limited, which in turn is part of The News Corporation Limited, controlled by Mr. Rupert Murdoch.

The Green Left Weekly: The paper was launched in 1990 by progressive activists to present the views excluded by the big business media. It claims to be Australia's leading source of local, national and international news, analysis, and discussion and debate to strengthen the anti-capitalist movements.

The articles regarding the Iraqi war in the main stream papers appear to be a statement as to events with occasional comments from government officials. The Green Left Weekly consist of publishings that are obviously anti-American and in opposition to the Iraqi war. After much research, the question still remains:

What are the people of Australia actually thinking about the war in Iraq?

Through the eyes of Iran

2004-11-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Iran, a country in turmoil. What you are about to witness and read are the views and opinions seen through the eyes of the media on the conflict and war going on in Iraq. As you will notice through our research the media in Iran is rather neutral, showing no favoritism towards Iraq or America. The Iranian people, on the other hand, have an opinion. We have included an opinion piece from Tehran Times to allow an insight to the citizen's views on America and the war in Iraq.

The background of Iran
-Population:66,128,965(July 2001 EST.)
-Population below poverty line: 53%(1996 EST.)
-Location: In the Middle East, borders include; Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan
-Government:Democracy with no political parties
-Ethnic Groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24% and etc...
-Language: Persian Dialects 58%,and Turkic Dialects 26% among other languages...
-Religions: Sh'a Muslim 89%, Sunni Muslim 10%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian,and Baha'l
-Exports: $25 billion
-Imports: $15 billion
If you would like more information on the background of Iran go to World press review

News from Where?

Iran Daily is a daily English- Iranian newspaper published by the Islamic Republic News Agency. The IRNA was established in 1934 as Iran's official outlet for national news by the Foreign Ministry of Iran. They are also members of six national news pools. They were one of the first to be on the internet in Iran in 1996. The IRNA has a list of guidelines in order to carry out their responsibilities to the public. This news sources is very reliable and neutral. The information posted on this site is constantly updated and more current than most US news sources.

Tehran Times is a daily English newspaper that is Tehran based. Tehran Times was established in 1979. This news source is a well connected paper that covers stories most newspapers wouldn't touch. They rely on IRNA for a lot of its stories, but they feature a daily political commentary. Tehran Times is not very reliable and seems to be slightly prejustice toward the U.S. Some say Tehran Times is "leftist media." For example: A June 17 article in the English-language Tehran Times entitled "Pity the Next U.S. president" compared Bush and his neo-conservative advisers to "neo-Nazis" who have created a "stinking heap of a mess" throughout the world. World Net Daily

News in your FACE

Iraq Security will Impact Region
"Peace" Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz visited Iran Monday morning. He was hoping to establish security in Iraq and impact the whole region. Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz thinks that all countries should have regular exchange of views. Can't we all just get a long? (full story)
Iran-daily/Tehran/Oct.26th

Eight U.S. Marines killed in Fallujah
Eight Marines who were working on the first Marine expeditionary force were killed in action, along with nine others who were wounded in action while involved in a security operation in Al-Anbar province. They died on the highest single-day military death toll since the start of the war. (fullstory) Iran-daily/Baghdad/Iraq/Oct.30th

Iraqis Better off Now
An interview with Al-Shikh,an Iraqi diplomat,gave a new light to the war in Iraq. He says the Iraqi nation now enjoys stability, living conditions have improved and salaries have increased by almost tenfold. He also has said that even though the U.S. has not found the WMDs that Saddam himself was a WMD. (full story)
Iran-daily/By:Hamid Reza Emadi/Oct.31st

American,3 others kidnapped in Iraq
An American, and three others were seized from working in their office in Baghdad. Reports show that shots were fired at the time of the kidnapping, by whom no one knows. (full story)
Tehran times/Baghdad/Iraq/Nov.2nd

Death Grips Iraq in wake of Bush reelection
The window of peaceful of coexistence of Iraqis is closing. The battle for Falluja could lead to disruptive political transition for Iraq. Along with further updates on killings and violence in Iraq. For example, "The bodies of 12 Iraqi civilians who had been kidnapped and than shot to death in the town of Latifiya were discovered Friday, Iraqi police sources said". (full story)
Tehran times/Baghdad,Iraq/Nov.7th

**Iranian Perspective**
* This is not factual reporting, but a personal opinion.*

Bringing Bush,Blair to book(11/01/04)
By M.P. Zamani

Saddam was only a threat to his immediate neighbors,not people in western countries. Saddam did pay the price for his crimes on his masses and minorities,but his removal will be debated for years to come. Saddam's terror stretched beyond the limits,but the U.S. has over stretched its limits while being the ordained one to save the world from terrorism. If the Iraqi dictator were evil, the power that brought him down is worse. The U.S. is terrorizing several nation-states by use of its military muscle. The U.S. and Britain ignored the global community while attacking Baghdad. But who will judge them now? (for the rest of the story)(On the bottom of the page)

Korea

2004-11-02T15:38:00.000-05:00

KOREA
*Population: 68,940,000
- South Korea: 48 million, North Korea: 23 million
*Location: East of Asia
- Korea is situated on the Northeast section of the Asian continent. The Korean peninsula shares its border with China and Russia adn is neighbored by Japan.
*Size: 99, 392 square km.
*Capital: Seoul
*Government: democratic Republican
*Language: Korean
- The korean official language is Hangeul.
*Religion: Buddhism, Christianity and Catholicism
- 46% of them follow Buddhism, 38% follow Christianity, and 13% Catholicism

*Interesting facts*
*Koreans write their family name first and then their or given names follow. Children follow the father's family name, but women do not change their name after marriage.
* Shoes must be removed before entering a home.
* Korean's generally do not write a person's name in red ink Because Korean people use red ink only for dead people.
*When visiting somebody at thier home they bring along a small gift. The gift can be almost anything.
* Koreans traditionally sit, eat and sleep on the floor.

Korea Herald
2004.10.25
Extending Zaytun Mission
Zaytun Unit, the Korean expeditionary force to Iraq, arrived late last month in Iribil, northern Iraq. They Required a months training in Kuwait.The 2,800 men and women, along with another 800 personnel, began their peaceful reconstruction mission in November. They will now have to return home if no budget appropriation for 2005 is made by National Assembly. The Democratic labor party are against keeping the Korean Herald forces in the embattled country. No weapons of mass destruction have been found, and all U. S. officials from President Bush on down has admitted the mistake. Korean dispatched troops to Iraq not to search for WMD but to help the Iraqi people rehabilitate from the war.
No author given

2004.10.26
New Threat alerts Zaytun soldiers
The article talked about an Islamic man called for terror attacks on korean troops in a letter posted on an Arab Web site, warning that Islamic militants would "burn Seoul and make it crumble" if korean troops don't leave Iraq. The call for terror attacks against the troops was posted on an Arabic Web site. It urged warriors to send troops to Irbil to attack South Korean troops. Out of 18 possible terror targets, South Korean troops were listed as a third target.

By: Joo Sang-min * his e-mail address smjoo@heraldm.com

2004.10.27
Troops ordered to stay after unknown expolsive heard
Troops were told to stay in Iraq when a bomb went off and killed 24 sheep. The whole in the ground was found only 5 centimeters in diameter. It must have been very powerful. One explination could have been that the sheep had set off the caves underneath. The land had been used to train Saddam's soldiers.
No author given

www.koreaherald.com

Korean Times
2004.10.26

South Korea planned to send 3,000 more troops to Iraq and aid the United States in againt insergents, while iraq is democratized, even though the memory of 5,000 south koreans died aiding america in vietnam is still fresh. Insergants kiddnapped a south korean man and held him hostage unless the 3,000 extra troops are witheld from duty. The 33 year old man was found dead by decapitation and the troops are deployed as planned.

www.koreatimes.com

The Seoul Times
2004.10.26
America's retreat from Asia
In June, Bush administration revealed it's plan to withdraw 12,500 of the 37,000 soldiers stationed in South Korea by the end of 2005. We have had an alliance with them for over 50 years. The US plans to strengthen South Korea's forces by suppying $11 billion worth of high-technology equipment over the next 5 years.A majority of South Koreans wants American forces to remain as a stabilizing force.
By Ahn Byung-Joon

2004.10.29
Global Confrence on Iraq
Egypt is going to host a large confrence on November 22-23 2004 to dicuss helping Iraqi people in controling their countries affairs as a step towards holding elections, economic recovery and improving security.It will be the largest, most important global conference on Iraq since the outbreak of the Iraqi war.
author unknown
www.theseoultimes.com

Summary

Overall the coverage of all the resources we found from Korea, they had one thing in common. They were all for the U.S. Our alliance is very important to them and very strong. Foreign Minister said," The Korea-U.S. alliance has been the model case of a successful alliance." We have troops in Iraq and Korea. Korea also has troops in Iraq. American Politics and coverage was found all over Korean news. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election, we will continue to work very closley with the United States in all area.

Canada

2004-11-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

National Post
Canadian Press.

Sudanese army and police have surounded several refugee camps in the war-torn rrgion of Darfur and denied access ato humanitarian grpups, the United Nations said Tuesday. About 160,000 refugees in western Darfur cannot be reached by road because insecurity. Attacks on Darfur's people have uprooted 1.5million, and at least 70,000 have died, moslty from disease and hunger.

Canada's Perspective on the US

2004-10-31T20:26:00.000-05:00

Canada

Location: Canada occupies all of North America north of the United States (east of Alaska). Canada is a federation of 10 providences.

People: Canada has a population of close to 31,000,000 people. About 40% are of Brittish decent, 27% are French, 20% are of other European background, 10% are Asian. Canada has complete religious liberty. 45% of the people are Roman Catholic, 40% are Prodestant. There are however about 1/2 million Muslims in Canada. English and French are both the official language of Canada, and federal documents are printed in both languages. 61% of the people claim English as their language.

Government: Canada is an independant contitutional monarchy. Each providence has it's own government but the federal government can veto any provincial law. Their government is basically set up like ours, but istead of a President they have a Prime Minister and a parliment kind of like our Senate and House.

http://www.ottawasun.com/
The Ottawa Sun is a conservative based daily newpaper that is available all over the city of Ottawa by home delivery or news stand. It is a division of Sun Media Group which publishes newspapers all across Canada, such as the Toronto Sun, Edmonton Sun, Calgary Sun, Winnipeg Sun, and the London Free Press.

The Ottawa Sun news articles on the Iraqi war.

October 26, 2004.

Allawi Accuses U.S.-led Coalition of Negligence in Ambush of Iraqi Recruits
Iraq's Prime minister Ayad Allawi is accusing the coalition of negligence in the death of about 50 newly trained Iraqi soldiers, but he didn't say anything specific. He did say that their negligent handling of security led to the death of the soldiers. However, in contrast to what the Prime minister says, Defence Minister Hazem Shaalan claims that the recruits are the ones to blame. He says that they left in haste immediately after their graduation and took a unautheroized route to go home. He goes on to say, "There might have been some people who gave information about them to hostile sides." The U.S. claims that it was a horrendous act committed by terrorist and that no one is to blame but the terrorists alone.

President Bush Will Be Seeking an Additional $75 Billion from Congress Early Next Year to Helf Fight the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
This is an article claiming just as the title states. It talks about how the Kerry Camp has taken the ball and ran with it claiming that Bush's incompetence has a price and that the money could have been used for schools and such. The article later states that the $75 billion is inflated and the actual number could be smaller. If you didn't read all the way to the end you never would have caught that part.

October 27, 2004

US Army Unit Confirms That There was No Search for Weapons at Site.
This article states that a unit of the 101st Airborne Division said that there was not a search for weapons at a site where 342 tons of explosives are reportedly missing. The unit claims that there were looters there when they arrived and all they did was do a search for chemical and biological weapons. They were not told to seach for HE (high explosive) weapons. After staying at the site for 24 hours they then had to move on into Baghdad to do more fighting. This article seemed to offer a bunch of different views from different peoplle. There was a lot of conflicting information depending on who was being quoted.

Brittish Soldiers beginning to Move Towards Baghdad
Brittis soldiers are starting to move into a more dangerous combat zone in Baghdad. They were previously stationed in Basra which has been pretty quiet here of lately. They are moving to take over security positions for the U.S. troops who will be freed up to move into the insurgency strongholds in Fallujah. The nearly 800 Scottish troops are being accompanied by 40 U.S. Marines. This article was pretty cut and dry. I would have liked to hear some opinions from the troops that are being move and also from the people in England to see what they thought about it.

October 31, 2004

More US Troops Arrive in Iraq on Eve of Expected Showdown with Guerrillas
This is an article of how a new brigade of troops are arriving in Baghdad, that will push the total number of troops stationed there over 40,000. They are there preparing for an assault on insurgent strongholds and to prepare for the upcoming elections. It says Army units that were slated to be leaving ere being held back until after the elections, causing the overall number of troops to climb to an estimated 142,000. It later states in the article that the Army has renamed most of the bases around Iraq from cocky names to some that are easier on the ears. For example Camp Headhunter is being changed to Camp Independence. This article was a little different than the other ones. It was the basic new article then at the end they threw in the part about changing the names of the bases. I wondered why this wasn't worthy of an article of it's own. It just seemed to be trown in at the end where a lot of people lose interest and don't read all the way down.

November 1, 2004

American, 5 others kidnapped in Iraq; president opposes assualt on Fallujah
Some gunmen raided a compound seizing an American, a Nepalease and 4 Iraqis. The American was the 12th U.S. citizen to be reported kidnapped, he lived around 500 yards from where 2 other Americans and a Briton were kidnapped last month. A guard and one of the assilants were killed in the process. There were "at least 20 attackers, some masked and some not." Said Haidar Karar. He lives close to the building that was raided.
Also, the deputy governor of Baghdad was assassinated by some other gunmen, he was riding in his car and 2 of his body guards were wounded but not killed.

http://www.thestar.com/

Sudanese Army and police have surrounded several refuge camps in the war torn region of Darfur and denied access to humanatarian groups. About 160,000 refugees in western Darfur cannot be reached by road because insecurity. Attacks on Darfur's people have uprooted 1.5 million and nearly 70,000 have died, mostly from disease and hunger.

How We Look in Their Eyes

During our research we have noticed that the news being reported in Canada is very similar to the news that is reported here in the United States. That is not very unusual becuase they are a neighboring country and also an allie. Another reason that the reporting is similar to the U.S. is because large segments of Canada's economy is controlled by foreign interest, mainly the U.S. The United States if by far Canada's leading trade partner, followed by Great Britian, who is also a member of the coalition in the Iraqi war. I would have been very suprised to see anything but a conservative view from their media. Also Canada has a fairly small Muslim population, not large enough for media sources to cater to. I am guessing that Canadian people's view on the United States is the same as it's always been, being that the countries' people are very similar, they were both European founded. Most Canadian's speak english, their country borders ours, and many travel back and forth and/or have family here. I think that they felt the impact from 9/11 and that they support just about everything we do in the war on terror.

Germany

2004-10-31T08:17:00.000-05:00

GERMANY

Background:Europe's largest economy, most populous nation, key member of the continent's economic, political, and defence organizations.

Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Demark.

Country Size: slightly smaller than Montana

Population: 82,424,609 (2004)

Ethnic groups: German 91.5% Turkish 2.4% other 6.1% (Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)

Religions: Protestant 34% Roman Catholic 34% Muslim 3.7% unaffiliated or other 28.3%

Government type: federal republic

Capital: Berlin

Legal system: Civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court.

Economy: Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy- the fifth largest national economy in the world- has become one of the slowest growing economies in the entire euro zone, and a quick turnaround is not in the foreseeable future. Germany's aging population, combined with high unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level of exceeding contributions from workers.The government is starting long needed stuctural reforms designed to revitalize the country's economy.

Industries: Among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages, ship building, textiles

Information obtained through the CIA- The World Fact Book 10/25/2004

Information obtained from the German Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger; German Embassy Washington D.C. 2002

He stated "There have been alot of reports on Germany's postion on Iraq recently. Some, among them by Fox News, have criticized my country for supposedly not beong a good ally. Let me set the record straight:"
1. Germany has always stood by its American friends, in good and bad times. Germany is also one of Isreal's best friends world wide, second only to the US. As friend and allies, we want to consult closely in all matters.
2. The question of Iraq should be no exception. President Bush has promised that he will consult with Chancellor Schroder one he has a plan in place. So far we have not been asked to participate in any action non Iraq.Why would anyone criticize Germany for not doing something we haven't been asked to do?
3.German's too, have the right to know and understand exactly what military force might entail. German's want to be 100% sure what they might participate in would be legal beyond a reasonable doubt. For us, the legitimacy of our action is all the more important in light of Germany's past. Have all other means been exhausted? What are the regional and strategic implications of our action? Are we sure there are no better alternative to military action?These are important questions, and this is what Chancellor Schroder is getting at when he says that he does not want to participate in any adventures.
4. We do share the view that the Iraqi regime should not have weapons of mass destruction. But we are still far from certain that the only, or the best, way to prevent this is to use military action.

Futher research showed Germany's opposition to send troops to Iraq.
Politinfo.com Oct. 13, 2004 revealed an article that states just that.

Germany reiterates opposition to sending troops to Iraq

The German editon of the Financial Times quoted Defense Minister Peter Struck as ruling out a deployment for now, but saying no one can predict the events in Iraq and make binding statements. Mr. Struck also stated at a NATO meeting Wednesday in Romania that perhaps sometime, maybe in years, Germany will become engaged in the situation.
Germany was a vocal opponent to the US led war in Iraq, but has agreed to conduct training in the United Arab Emirates for some Iraqi troops and provide the Iraqi military with trucks and armored vehicles.

The German view of the Iraqi appears to be on of opposition but, will to a small extent, be participating only to maintain an ally in the United States. They believe there should be no Middle Eastern country with weapons of mass destruction in their possion but feel that military action was/is not warrented at this time.

Slaves of the Foreigners

* The article says the job market in Iraq will be opened up to foreign investors soon. They will get access to almost all of Iraq's "most profitable industries." Only gas and oil will be under government control.
* It is possible the prfits could be sent overseas with Iraq getting little of it.
*Iraqis fear they will be unable to compete with foreigners. They fear their jobs will be taken away.
* American firms like Halliburton and Bechtel would benefit from this arrangement.
* The article spaeculates that the sudden change in systems could overwhelm the business and people of Iraq. It is too liberal and too western much too quickly.
* One person said that "the trade in cheap imported goods will comtinue to flourish, to the detriment of the Iraqi private economy."
Source: Der Spiegel By: Bernhard Zand Translated by: Christopher Sultan