Is Iraq Helping To Pay For This War?

My husband wants to know if Iraq is helping financely to pay for this war.

Are they using some of the money from the oil in Iraq?

What about all of the American dollars in cash that was found after the war started.

I mean the big metal containers of American bills that were found that Saddam had stashed everywhere.

WHERE IS THIS AMERICAN MONEY NOW?

[edit on 3-7-2006 by MagicaRose]

Paying for the bombs and bullets that destroy your homes and rip through your kinfolk? That's a novel concept. Wouldn't that be like asking this little girl to pay for the expensive napalm on her back...


Sorry to sound so facetious, but jesus, you want them to pay for a war we started with them... I just don't know about that logic man.

The Iraqis are pretty much paying much in blood and money fighting the insurgency as much as we are. So why is twitchy complaining? The insurgents and terrorists seem to be killing more Iraqis then Americans. I wonder why.

But the answer to your question is yes of course. Why would anyone pay for something they wanted and they started if they can get someone else (i.e. the Iraqis) to do it for them? And of course it doesn’t matter if the Iraqis want us there or not www.telegraph.co.uk.../news/2005/10/23/wirq23.xml
I mean what are we Santa Clause with morals? Ho, Ho what do you know? Anyone who says yes better flick from their Fox TV to internet (for just once).

Here is an extract from this site: www.house.gov...

“Press Secretary Ari Fleischer: “Well, the reconstruction costs remain a very -- an issue for the future. And Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, is a rather wealthy country. Iraq has tremendous resources that belong to the Iraqi people. And so there are a variety of means that Iraq has to be able to shoulder much of the burden for their own reconstruction.” [Source: White House Press Briefing, 2/18/03]

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage: “This is not Afghanistan…When we approach the question of Iraq, we realize here is a country which has a resource. And it’s obvious, it’s oil. And it can bring in and does bring in a certain amount of revenue each year…$10, $15, even $18 billion…this is not a broke country.” [Source: House Committee on Appropriations Hearing on a Supplemental War Regulation, 3/27/03]

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz: “There’s a lot of money to pay for this that doesn’t have to be U.S. taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people…and on a rough recollection, the oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years…We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.” [Source: House Committee on Appropriations Hearing on a Supplemental War Regulation, 3/27/03]

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld: “If you [Source: worry about just] the cost, the money, Iraq is a very different situation from Afghanistan…Iraq has oil. They have financial resources.” [Source: Fortune Magazine, Fall 2002]

State Department Official Alan Larson: “On the resource side, Iraq itself will rightly shoulder much of the responsibilities. Among the sources of revenue available are $1.7 billion in invested Iraqi assets, the found assets in Iraq…and unallocated oil-for-food money that will be deposited in the development fund.” [Source: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Iraq Stabilization, 06/04/03]

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld: “I don't believe that the United States has the responsibility for reconstruction, in a sense…[Reconstruction] funds can come from those various sources I mentioned: frozen assets, oil revenues and a variety of other things, including the Oil for Food, which has a very substantial number of billions of dollars in it. [Source: Senate Appropriations Hearing, 3/27/03]”

And judging by the malnutrition in Iraqi children it looks like even they are helping to pay for this war effort (after all where else could Iraqi money go?) www.washingtonpost.com...

Furthermore Iraqis to this day still have to pay for Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait. Given that Kuwait used to be part of Iraq for thousands of years up and till the early 1920’s I think its hardly fair; especially as they stole billions of dollars worth of oil through slant drilling both before and after the war. www.guardian.co.uk...

According to this site seattletimes.nwsource.com...
the Iraq war is costing 100,000 dollars a minute. So I'm sure Iraqis are only paying for some it. Yep we who elected the government figures selected for us bare most of cost; its just a shame its not all of it.

After all Iraqis income per capita is 3400 dollars which is nothing when you think of the poor. It’s total purchasing power is 94 billion which is less than half the money being spent on it. Source: www.cia.gov...

Now what would happen if you gave 293 billion plus dollars to Iraqis directly; would that do more for stability than another 3 years worth of occupation?
Of course you would never do that because the Muslim fundamentalist Shiite are probably way to corrupt to do anything but bank it. That said only a fraction of this money is needed to help the poorest in Iraqis; perhaps replace some that hospital equipment that was looted or even provide the children of Basra with painkillers.

Instead not only do we the occupation not worry about the absence of basic medicines (or at least many of few exceptions have been done in presence of TV cameras) but at the same time we also make Iraq pay war reparations; and support the cost of our own invasion-occupation.
It’s like the mafia charging for protection given that Britain’s own Ministry of Defence (MOD) research clearly shows Iraqis do not want us. This must be especially so now given that, that opening link is an old one; and the situation (in line with the Iraqi death rate) has got much worse since then.
But hay all part of their liberation by liquidation I guess!!!

mod edit to use external quote code, please review this link



[edit on 3-7-2006 by DontTreadOnMe]

Well, I think if they wanted a free country bad enough they would help with all the cash that they could afford.

Sure, they are going to take all the freebies that we are willing to give them and from what I gather we have given them alot including over 2500 of our soldier's lives.

Now, WHERE IS ALL THE AMERICAN CASH THAT THEY FOUND IN IRAQ?

You all seem to be so well informed so give me a good answer to that question......if you can.

They wish they could get all the cash, but the insurgents have been sabotaging the pipelines that help fund the reconstruction as well as building up the military. The insurgents are thinking way ahead.

Originally posted by MagicaRose
Well, I think if they wanted a free country bad enough they would help with all the cash that they could afford.

They want a free country. A country free of Americans who are asset-stripping their economy and looting their treasury. The first thing Dubya did on gaining control of Iraq was to get his hands on the oil-for-food money, then worth about $5bn, THAT disappeared pretty quickly, I can tell you.

Mountains of cash have disappeared, unaccounted for, in bribes, shadowy weapons deals, and straight profiteering. And you want the Iraqis to pay for US troops to occupy their country?

50,000 innocent civillians dead. I'd say thats more than paying for it enough.

Like others have pointed out, i don't really see the logic, but this line is pretty much so the whole reply isnt a one liner.

first of all why would the Iraqis pay for what USA destroys and I never heard before the war that Iraqis wanted a free country,all this stupid war caused many people to die because of some monkey president

Well, I see that no one agrees with me .
Just alot of Bush bashing and hatred for our President and I don't want to hear it.
Why do you think they haven't attacked us again?

Because we have a President that won't back down and he keeps his word.
I don't like this war either.
I have a Grandson that will be 18 in 2 years and I worry about him having to go into a war that will never end.

P.S. I LIKE PRESIDENT BUSH.

~~

MagicaRose

there's all kinds of 'paying'

Iraq, whether they know it or not, will in all likelyhood have
coalition troops, as invited occupation troops, for a generation or so...

Iraq has a pro-american, in line with the war-on-terror policy,
'freely elected' 'soverign' Government...(so it appears) for as
long as the 'invited occupation' troops remain on Iraqi soil.

Iraq may as well cede the U.S. Embassy City-Fortress
to the coalition force.
You know as well as I, this Fortress-City just outside of Hilla, Iraq
(near the ancient remnants of Babylon)
was never intended to be less than a long term, 'permanent'
garrison sorta deal in the ~centre~ of the middle east...
reminds me of the Vatican, within Rome but seperate from rome & Italy

the Depleted Uranium issue, eventually will need to be cleaned up,
is that part of the public-works projects which the US will help supervise?

again...there's many ways a debtor, creditor can or will pay

Magical Rose maybe you missed the first link I gave in my post? It's not simply a matter of bush bashers not agreeing with you; it's a matter of reality itself not agreeing with you ether. I can say that with confidence because that opinion poll was conducted by Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MOD). And it was published by a very pro Conservative newspaper (all of who's living party leaders supported the war in Iraq).
Maybe you haven't noticed? But our soldiers are dying like yours, and our government lied like yours (arguably more so) about WMD being a threat ect.

In fact even Saddam's human paper shredder story has turned out to a total lie (according to the person who started it that is). Saddam kept control and order of a country full of Muslim Fundamentalists. Our government has empowered these people; few of them have ever wanted democracy although they did want freedom from Saddam because he oppressed their religion for doing things like forcing woman to where veils, or making them live in harmony with his secular Sunnis who drank alcohol.

Important ATS Challenge!!!
Find me an opinion poll that shows me that most Iraqis wanted this invasion (at any point!!!) and then I might think they should pay for it. I assure you I haven't seen one on TV and if it existed I'm sure you that someone would have. But it was difficult enough getting our own people to support this war (certainly in the U.K) even when they believed Saddam had retained (at least some WMD). But if it's difficult enough to get our own people to support an invasion; then I would imagine it’s near impossible to get most Iraqis to support what they can only call a "foreign invasion".

Even so I challenge you go and find your poll that shows Iraqis supported this was war; and therefore need to take responsibility for it.
This is what I got when I typed "most-Iraqis support war" on Google
www.google.co.uk...

Relevant Yet Of Topic Results…
All interesting results but all against those search words meaning. Apart from one that is; a survey of American people showing that 54% of Americans thought Iraqis supported coalition troops two years after the war was over. I mean in the absence of any facts how self deluded is that? I think they need to build one huge mental asylum for people like that and call it the White House. They are clearly dangerous (to the world that is). But try and prove me wrong. And good luck (unless it’s the Fox website though I'm not sure if even they have any such evidence to boast).

So see this American opinion poll of America’s Peoples Deluded Thoughts…
www.washingtonpost.com...

Of course I don’t blame the American people for this. I blame the mass media that corrupts so many of your minds; I don’t blame the news presenters, I blame the few people who own its many news outlets, and I blame their ability to corrupt both government and public opinion alike by using your freedom of speech rights to corrupt them both with criminal (yet somehow legal) bias. And this extreme bias exists both on the CNN and on the Fox News front, that’s why liberals who refuse to cooperate seem so extreme because according to what you are taught they are, and so it is that many of them who remain, actually are. Your news networks got your soldiers to loose limbs, and die with a lie in their head as much as if not more than your selected elected president (remember that). The only thing that resists the mass media are the minority who log onto sites like this; and they are a minority whilst in democracy its always the majority that counts.


[edit on 090705 by Liberal1984]

The absurdity and arrogance of asking these people to pay for the bombs we dropped on their heads is staggering.

Destroying a country and then asking them to pay for it is simply an amazing thought to me.

The insurgents and terrorists seem to be killing more Iraqis then Americans. I wonder why.

Because it's much easier to shoot at people who don't shoot back?

[edit on 7/4/06 by xmotex]

Originally posted by MagicaRose
Well, I see that no one agrees with me .

You never made a logical argument, just a supposition that somehow a country that didn't ask to be invaded is supposed to pay the bill for it.

If the garbage truck were to mow down your house would you expect them to bill you for that pleasure?

Just alot of Bush bashing and hatred for our President and I don't want to hear it.
Why do you think they haven't attacked us again?

Because we have a President that won't back down and he keeps his word.

You sound JUST like Bush's press-secretary. Seriously though, a lot of people disagree with you. And, you'll be interested to note that technically the US is supposed to pay Iraq for reconstruction efforts.

Originally posted by deltaboy
The Iraqis are pretty much paying much in blood and money fighting the insurgency as much as we are. So why is twitchy complaining? The insurgents and terrorists seem to be killing more Iraqis then Americans. I wonder why.

Because there are more Iraqi's populating Iraq than Americans. It's simple really. And besides alot of " insurgents" just want america out and have no terrorist affiliation unless you really want to believe the remedial 3rd grader answer "The terrorists hates us for our freedom" Which you really have no proof that alot of Iraqi's are fighting for terrorist regimes since there is no uniform or cohesive organization.

And you would too want them out if someone invaded your country/your city/your community/your home/your family/your privacy as an occupying imperial force bullying the landscape day by day. And if you say no you aren't very good at lying. But aint that something the double standard you gotta love it

"WE LOVE IT!" (C) Randy Newman-I Love L.A.

Originally posted by rich23

Originally posted by MagicaRose
Well, I think if they wanted a free country bad enough they would help with all the cash that they could afford.

They want a free country. A country free of Americans who are asset-stripping their economy and looting their treasury. The first thing Dubya did on gaining control of Iraq was to get his hands on the oil-for-food money, then worth about $5bn, THAT disappeared pretty quickly, I can tell you.

Mountains of cash have disappeared, unaccounted for, in bribes, shadowy weapons deals, and straight profiteering. And you want the Iraqis to pay for US troops to occupy their country?

Rod Roddy tell him what he won

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How about a vacation from the water torture? Do you feel like you can't breather? No Problem In the Charlie Daniels Patriotic listening room you get to hear songs about why you should love your soldiers and your country and not like people who don't like america. But don't love your soldiers in *that* way or you might have to go....


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Lordy...


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This and so much yours is for you to enjoy for a lifetime on the PRICE is RIGHT!


:::Swanky Music plays:::

No more absurd than asking American taxpayers to subsidize sweetheart deals for military and oil services contractors, paying for a war they didn't want.

Nobody deserves to pay for this war except the people who profit from it. But of course they wouldn't be profitting if they had to front the money for invasion and occupation, so they piggy-backed on the good 'ol US of A and her allies.

As to what happened to the money, your guess is as good as mine. Accountability has been in the toilet since the word 'Go', and it's not gotten much better. Billions have gone missing, ours and theirs.

Remember that, for a while, American 'temporary administrators' were sitting in offices stacked to the ceiling with shrink-wrapped twenties, fifties, and hundreds.

They used that money (presumably) to pay off local contractors, as well as their buddies, and themselves.

We will never know where most of that money went, because it was in cash, and there was no semblance of proper accounting.

Originally posted by MagicaRose
Well, I see that no one agrees with me .
Just alot of Bush bashing and hatred for our President and I don't want to hear it.
Why do you think they haven't attacked us again?

Because we have a President that won't back down and he keeps his word.
I don't like this war either.
I have a Grandson that will be 18 in 2 years and I worry about him having to go into a war that will never end.

P.S. I LIKE PRESIDENT BUSH.

We kind of gathered that you do like the chimp. But your fears for your grandson are understandable and entirely appropriate.

Magica - when you say, "Why do you think they haven't attacked us again?" I'm intrigued by your use of this word "again". Can you tell me when Iraq attacked the US BEFORE the invasion?

I think you'll find that Iraq has never attacked the US. They invaded Kuwait, but only after US envoy April Glaspie said that the US would stay out of the way if they did. Bush senior then seized the opportunity to put together a coalition and use up a lot of arms. The US went from being fifth largest arms supplier to the region to #1.

I can remember when Saddam was gassing the Kurds and thinking, "why doesn't anyone do anything about this?" I didn't realise at the time, but Saddam was our FRIEND back then and we supported him all through that. Times and expeidencies change, now he's the enemy.... and gets the blame for 9/11, to which he had no connection at all.

I'd suggest you look at a wider range of news sources.

MRGERBIK - you are THE MAN! LMAO! You're right, I am tired of critical thinking and I want the soothing tones of Bill O'Reilly to send me to sleep. I almost want a threesome with Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter, though I think Ann's Adams apple might put me off a bit. I'd be thinking, Pudenda Shenanigans, is that you? (Google the name if you don't know already. You'll like it.)

Oh yeah... wouldn't it have been cool if the pilot flying Bush in to his "Mission Accomplished" multi-million-dollar photo-op had said, "hey, you used to fly with the National Guard! I'll let you land this one for the folks back home!" and EJECTED?

on this page you can see a counter counting the cost of the War in Iraq, all paid by American taxdollars. The number is based on Congressional appropriations.


and the Seatle times says:

External source
Currently, the Defense Department says it is spending about $4.5 billion a month on the conflict in Iraq, or about $100,000 per minute.

Continued here

Edit: added link to Seatle Times article

[edit on 5-7-2006 by XyZeR]

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
No more absurd than asking American taxpayers to subsidize sweetheart deals for military and oil services contractors, paying for a war they didn't want.

Nobody deserves to pay for this war except the people who profit from it. But of course they wouldn't be profitting if they had to front the money for invasion and occupation, so they piggy-backed on the good 'ol US of A and her allies.

I agree. The Iraqi's certainly are paying for this war but they aren't paying the US taxpayers. The biggest financial losers in this war are the Iraqi and US citizens and the biggest beneficiaries are..... guess who!