Choosing Ignorance adds on to this post about cooperation, collusion and the difference between them.
It seems to me there are a few possibilities here:
1. Saddam and al-Qaeda had nothing to do with each other. This ranges from disinterest to active animosity depending upon where on the political spectrum you fall. It is the most popular position among leftists.
2. Saddam used Al-Qaeda as a stalking horse against the US. This is more popular among extreme right wingers and ardently pro-war supporters.
3. Saddam and al-Qaeda had enemmies in common and decided to lay their differences aside for the time being to attack the greater evil(s). More popular among the Scowcroftian realpolitik crowd.
4. Saddam was worried about religious fundamentalists destabilizing his regime and sought to co-opt them if possible and infiltrate and destroy them if necessary. Seems to be emerging among intelligence analysts and other cynics.
I believe 3 and 4 are the most likely. I think it's very possible that Saddam was worried about Islamic insurrection which is why he added the Koranic script to the flag and increased public displays of his piety towards the end of his regime. He believed he could kill two birds with one stone. He could prevent any overthrow from the religious corner and aid in attacks against the US and Israel at the same time.
Point one, seems to me increasingly unlikely in the extreme.
"An internal Iraqi Intelligence memo that Bergen describes as "one of the most credible documents," and was first reported by the Times in 2004, suggests that a better question is: "Why did Saddam help al Qaeda?" According to the document, Saddam Hussein personally approved bin Laden's request--made in a face-to-face meeting with Iraqi intelligence--to rebroadcast al Qaeda's anti-Saudi propaganda on Iraqi airwaves. Reasonable people can disagree as to whether this is significant cooperation. What is indisputable from this document, though, is that bin Laden sought cooperation from the Iraqis and the Iraqis, at least in a limited way, agreed to provide it."
If Saddam was so loathe to get into bed with people who are not his ardent allies or even hostile to him, why did he send his air force to Iran prior to the war? Are we to believe Iran is now a friendly neighbor? No. He made whatever friends he needed to as events warranted.
It seems to me there are a few possibilities here:
1. Saddam and al-Qaeda had nothing to do with each other. This ranges from disinterest to active animosity depending upon where on the political spectrum you fall. It is the most popular position among leftists.
2. Saddam used Al-Qaeda as a stalking horse against the US. This is more popular among extreme right wingers and ardently pro-war supporters.
3. Saddam and al-Qaeda had enemmies in common and decided to lay their differences aside for the time being to attack the greater evil(s). More popular among the Scowcroftian realpolitik crowd.
4. Saddam was worried about religious fundamentalists destabilizing his regime and sought to co-opt them if possible and infiltrate and destroy them if necessary. Seems to be emerging among intelligence analysts and other cynics.
I believe 3 and 4 are the most likely. I think it's very possible that Saddam was worried about Islamic insurrection which is why he added the Koranic script to the flag and increased public displays of his piety towards the end of his regime. He believed he could kill two birds with one stone. He could prevent any overthrow from the religious corner and aid in attacks against the US and Israel at the same time.
Point one, seems to me increasingly unlikely in the extreme.
"An internal Iraqi Intelligence memo that Bergen describes as "one of the most credible documents," and was first reported by the Times in 2004, suggests that a better question is: "Why did Saddam help al Qaeda?" According to the document, Saddam Hussein personally approved bin Laden's request--made in a face-to-face meeting with Iraqi intelligence--to rebroadcast al Qaeda's anti-Saudi propaganda on Iraqi airwaves. Reasonable people can disagree as to whether this is significant cooperation. What is indisputable from this document, though, is that bin Laden sought cooperation from the Iraqis and the Iraqis, at least in a limited way, agreed to provide it."
If Saddam was so loathe to get into bed with people who are not his ardent allies or even hostile to him, why did he send his air force to Iran prior to the war? Are we to believe Iran is now a friendly neighbor? No. He made whatever friends he needed to as events warranted.
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