[lbo-talk] New Anatol Lieven

[Chris Doss]

>Btw, Edward Said suggests in a recent article "What is happening to the
>United States?" that a deal was done in Moscow between the US and Saddam.
>Here is what Said says,
>
>"Adding to the fraudulence of the weapons that weren't there, the
>Stalingrads that didn't occur, the formidable artillery defenses that never
>happened, I wouldn't be surprised if Saddam disappeared suddenly because a
>deal was made in Moscow to let him out with his family and money in return
>for the country. The war had gone badly for the US in the south, and Bush
>couldn't risk more of the same in Baghdad. On April 6 a Russian convoy left
>Baghdad. US National Security adviser Condoleezza Rice appeared in Russia 
>on
>7 April."
>
>"Two days later, Baghdad fell on 9 April. Draw your own conclusions, but
>isn't it possible that as a result of discussions with the Republican Guard
>mentioned by Rumsfeld, Saddam bought himself out in return for abandoning
>the whole thing to the Americans and their British allies, who could then
>proclaim a brilliant victory."
>
>Is this a plausible story?
>
>Ulhas
>

Variations on this have been appearing in the Russian press. It's even being 
alleged that there was something very special in the ambassadorial convoy, 
something special enough to cause US troops to shoot at it, and then stop 
shooting at it (being called off?).

I would say it's almost certain a deal was cut, if not with saddam, then 
with large segments of the Baath apparaty\us. There's just no other way to 
have taken Baghdad. If so, Russia is the only viable intermediary -- it is 
the only member of the "antiterrorism coalition" that has close historical 
ties to Iraq, and also the only one the US absolutely, positively needs to 
have good relations with. Primakov was in Baghdad a few days before the war 
began, pleading with Saddam to go into exile.

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