Question 1: Iraq - We seem to have shifted our focus from al-Qaida to Iraq. Are we hard up for news from the middle east, or have we been trying to deal with Saddam for years and things have finally come to a head? Some people believe we have lost our focus. Do you think that's the case?
Yes we have seemed to shift our focus. Officially.. Iraq has not complied with their obligations under papers signed at the end of the gulf war...we are tired of it, so lets bomb them
unofficially... George Bush Jr is getting a lot of pressure from conservatives to take out Iraq, to finish the job his Dad should have done... Although George Sr. did exactly what he said he would do... Get Iraq out of Kuwait.
Question 2: North Korea - As I understand it they ignored a treaty they had with the U.S. and have been working on building nuclear weapons while we send them free oil? Am I getting this right? If that's the case what are we doing about it? What can we do about it? And why is it okay for us to have nuclear weapons and not them? Who are we to decide what they can and can't do?
North Korea in 1994 signed a Non proliferation statement saying they would not develop Nukes... In exchange, we gave them better deals in trade, etc. So far, we have not done much about it.
I will skip "who are we to decide", just so I dont ramble
I personally think the North Korean statement that they have a nuclear program was timed to call George Jr.'s bluff. Here we are blowing and puffing that Iraq "might have weapons of mass destruction" so North Korea says "well, we have em, now what you going to do about it".
Question 3: Is all this just about oil or is there more to the story? Isn't that a two way street? America's only interested in oil, but then again aren't the Arabs getting rich off us "infidels?" If we're so horrible why do business with us?
Yes, it is all about Oil.... Yes, they get rich off of us.... Money does not care how terrible the giver is.
Question 4: What is going on with the rest of the middle east? Saudi Arabia helped us in the Gulf War, allowing us to set up shop in their country... Bin Laden thought this was the worst thing they could have done allowing us on their holy land. Saudi Arabia didn't seem to mind. Who in the middle east can we consider friends? Who can we consider enemies? Who do you think is acting like our friend when in actual fact they are our enemies?
Who knows at any moment what is goping on with the rest of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is an ally of "convenience". When it is convenient to them, they are our ally, when not, they aren't.
Question 5: What is the deal with the Palestinians vs. Israel? What is the Palestinian's argument? What is Israel's argument? Why does the U.S. side with Israel?
Palestine versus Israel goes back to last century.... With the Zionist movement.....
quick rundown...
Balfour amendment proposed giving Jews a homeladn in Palestine...
1948..Israel formed from Land given by Britain
Palestine's main argument is that Britain had no right to give what they didnt own (kinda like the Native American Situation here)
Various wars over it (1967, 1973).....
Israel argues they have a right to exist....Palestine argues.."but not here"
We have not always been totally supportive of Israel... but, our support of Israel is primarily a "common Heritage" thing... Many of Israel's population are American born and raised...probably the most famous is Golda Merir.
Question 6: It seems like there are a lot of Americans who feel that we deserve the current situation we're in because of things the U.S. has done in the past. What have we done, and to whom? Does the U.S. stick it's nose where it doesn't belong? Have we stabbed the people of the middle east in the back?
We have done many things wrong (support for various nasties, shah of iran, pinochet, etc), we have done many things right.
I will reserve my opinion on the rest, for now
Question 7: We helped Afghanistan in the 80's, but then we left and didn't help them rebuild. So they hate us... If we didn't do anything to help they would hate us... Is the U.S. in a no-win situation or did we really screw them over?
That is not why they hate us. They hate us because we have Flush Toilets and Fancy Cars and Nice Houses.... We have affluence, they have poverty. Their government(s) have imposed religous law which looks at all that we have (or any non Muslim) country has as "godless decadence".
Hope this helps