Osama to bankrupt USA

[a_unique_person]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/index.html

The one flaw in his logic is that the US is a lot stronger economically than the USSR was, but the reliance on oil is easily eploited.



(CNN) -- The Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera released a full transcript Monday of the most recent videotape from Osama bin Laden in which the head of al Qaeda said his group's goal is to force America into bankruptcy.

Al-Jazeera aired portions of the videotape Friday but released the full transcript of the entire tape on its Web site Monday.

"We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah," bin Laden said in the transcript.

He said the mujahedeen fighters did the same thing to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, "using guerrilla warfare and the war of attrition to fight tyrannical superpowers."

"We, alongside the mujahedeen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat," bin Laden said.

He also said al Qaeda has found it "easy for us to provoke and bait this administration."

"All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private corporations," bin Laden said.

[AWPrime]

Well he could do it. But it will take some time.

[wipeout]

Shows the terrorists are just as "intelligent" as the politicians, I guess, as it's just like "the Reagan administration brought down the Soviet Union" claims.

Yes, bankrupt a nation because, as we know, in the late 1930s when Germany was spending vastly more militarily than it could possibly support, it peacefully collapsed and didn't bother anyone or invade anywhere. ;)

[Michael Redman]

The worst they can do is probably just force some politicians to admit that we can't have butter, guns, and a maximum marginal federal tax rate of 27%, or whatever it is now.

[Number Six]

Actually it's a pretty good idea, except for the long shot of it succeeding, but then it's not as long a shot as beating the US militarily. Draining the opponent economically is how the west ultimately won the Cold War (although of course military might played it's role too).

I think bin Laden may mean just make the US hurt economically enough to quit foreign adventures, thus leaving he and his kind to wreak whatever kind of havoc they can. I could imagine a scenario (although I don't think it's too likely) where a decade or two passes, nothing much is changing in the rest of the world but the US is more and more in debt and people start saying "Geez, enough fooling around in Country X already, just pay my outrageous medical bills." And the fact that a huge number of people are about to begin retiring doesn't help things any. (Gee, wouldn't it have been nice if we had prepared a bit for the Baby Boomers retirement and set a little money aside?)

I think the thing working against bin Laden & pals is globalization. The world economy is becoming more and more interconnected so it becomes less a matter of breaking the US and more a matter of breaking the entire world, which is a tougher task.

I think the big winner in all this is China. They're developing quickly and on top of all that they're able to do it without too much western scrutiny (since the west is busy with the WOT) and also China avoids having to have to foot the bill for the WOT too. Whoever is the biggest power (the US in thise case) has to foot most of the bill for all this but ironically, by the time it's all over China may be the biggest power, partly due to how fast it's developing and partly due to the US having to foot such a big bill for the WOT.

[duckhook]

Another thing that Bin Laden conveniently forgets is that the Afghan rebels of the 1980's bled the Russians with the aid of about $1 billion from the U.S. The U.S. began secretly appropriating funds for the rebel cause in the early '80's, the money being funneled through the Pakistanis. By the end of the Russian occupation, Saudi Arabia was matching U.S. appropriations dollar for dollar. There is little doubt that the Afghan rebels of that time (and I guess now for that matter) were brave, tireless and patient warriors. But, the Soviets held the upper hand until money, arms and other support from the U.S., Saudis and other Muslim nations begain to turn the tide. Eventually, the introduction of the U.S. made Stinger surface-to-air missile into the theater negated Russian air supremacy, greatly increasing the cost to Russia in men and material, and eventually leading to the Soviet withdrawal. It truly was Russia's Vietnam.

So, for Bin Laden to compare that episode to today is conveniently forgetting a few facts. In fact, the U.S. unwittingly (as it has done before) helped to create the climate that is now coming back to bite us on the rear end. When the Soviets pulled out, their puppet regime fell rather quickly, leaving a power vacuum that was eventually filled by a fundamentalist Muslim government that was at odds with the U.S. Plus, many militant Muslims were convinced that it was through the grace of Allah and their own efforts that the Soviets were defeated, again conveniently forgetting the foreign aid that assisted.

[Tmy]

Well our govt is now overspending like a drunken sailor on payday. Thanks to Osama and his buddies. You can say his plan is working.

[Tony]

Originally posted by duckhook
Another thing that Bin Laden conveniently forgets is that the Afghan rebels of the 1980's bled the Russians with the aid of about $1 billion from the U.S. The U.S. began secretly appropriating funds for the rebel cause in the early '80's, the money being funneled through the Pakistanis. By the end of the Russian occupation, Saudi Arabia was matching U.S. appropriations dollar for dollar. There is little doubt that the Afghan rebels of that time (and I guess now for that matter) were brave, tireless and patient warriors. But, the Soviets held the upper hand until money, arms and other support from the U.S., Saudis and other Muslim nations begain to turn the tide. Eventually, the introduction of the U.S. made Stinger surface-to-air missile into the theater negated Russian air supremacy, greatly increasing the cost to Russia in men and material, and eventually leading to the Soviet withdrawal. It truly was Russia's Vietnam.

So, for Bin Laden to compare that episode to today is conveniently forgetting a few facts. In fact, the U.S. unwittingly (as it has done before) helped to create the climate that is now coming back to bite us on the rear end. When the Soviets pulled out, their puppet regime fell rather quickly, leaving a power vacuum that was eventually filled by a fundamentalist Muslim government that was at odds with the U.S. Plus, many militant Muslims were convinced that it was through the grace of Allah and their own efforts that the Soviets were defeated, again conveniently forgetting the foreign aid that assisted.

I thought of that too, but perhaps Bin Laden knows something we don’t. Perhaps he is getting secret funds from another country? Its just speculation, but an interesting (if not frightening) prospect.

[AWPrime]

Originally posted by Tony
I thought of that too, but perhaps Bin Laden knows something we don’t. Perhaps he is getting secret funds from another country? Its just speculation, but an interesting (if not frightening) prospect.

He was getting Saudi money right?

[demon]

Osama Bin Goldstein!

He sounds fairly switched on, but he promotes evil turr so anyone who says the same things is a turrst. Meanwhile the policy continues unchanged.

His diagnosis of the problem is fair enough, but the solution he advocates (everyone on earth to become a Muslim a la Osama) puts him well outside the realm of reason but hold on a minute...doesn`t that make him quite a lot finer than the neo-cons and Western Intellectuals by comparison?

Our officials do not put forth fair or honest diagnostics.
Osama: 1; Empire: 0

Our officials want the whole world to be "democratic" (compliant with Western Interests), and if they must be religious, they damn-well better be Christians (or Jews).
Empire: 0; Osama: 0.

Final score: Empire - 0; Osama: 1

They both share similar pathologies, but me thinks the religious extremism of the East AND West are mutually supportive systems. The one breeds the other, and vice-versa.

This is an important qualifier, lest we foolishly turn away from an essential task in the pursuit of Justice: Understanding The Enemy...which is to say...understanding oursleves.

May God/Allah/Abraham/Gorky/ have mercy on us all!

[Tony]

Originally posted by AWPrime
He was getting Saudi money right?

Yes he was. Is he still ?

Makes you go hmmmmmm.

[Mycroft]

Originally posted by demon
Osama Bin Goldstein!


:jaw:

[demon]

What`s your problem?

[Grammatron]

Wow demon, a couple more steps into "out there" and you'll walk right off the map.