(National Post-Canada) - Daniel Pipes Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak predicts that the war in Iraq will have horrible consequences: "Instead of one bin Laden there will be one hundred bin Ladens." However, I expect that Muslim anger will diminish after an allied victory in Iraq, for the following reasons: Iraqi gratitude: Watching the gratitude of liberated Iraqis will undercut the Muslim sense of outrage that this war harmed the Iraqi population. Oil: When a new Iraqi government takes charge of its oil resources, the canard that Washington is fighting for control over Iraqi oil will die. Imperialism: The alacrity with which the allies remove themselves from controlling Iraq will assuage fears of it becoming part of a U.S. empire. Strong horse: As bin Laden himself put it, "When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse." An allied victory will establish who the strong horse is, diminishing the ardor of its enemies to fight.
2003-04-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive