3 ms·

I posted to a sibling of this comment, but here's the link again just in case you miss it: If you are nitpicking over the use of my quantifier "entirely" I'll

• _djo_ 16y ago
  Still no evidence of direct Western funding of the Iraqi military, 'entirely' or otherwise. Again, selling Iraq weaponry, turning a blind eye to its actions and providing it with intelligence information are all not the same thing as directly funding its military. This is really such a simple issue that I'm surprised it has gone on for this long.
  • afshin 16y ago
    Really? Are we reading the same article? Here are some direct quotations. * The "Iraqgate" scandal revealed that an Atlanta branch of Italy's largest bank, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, relying heavily on U.S. government-guaranteed loans, funneled over US $5 billion to Iraq from 1985 to 1989. * Saddam's elite troops received instruction in unconventional warfare at Fort Bragg * The United States assisted Iraq through a military aid program known as "Bear Spares", whereby the U.S. military "made sure that spare parts and ammunition for Soviet or Soviet-style weaponry were available to countries which sought to reduce their dependence on the Soviets for defense needs."