Can markets rebound after Gulf War II?
Henry T. Azzam Several theories have been contemplated in the past few months to explain why the Bush administration is obsessed with Iraq and is so adamant on changing the regime of Saddam Hussein. A secular state like Iraq has nothing to do with America s new declared enemy of militant Islam and no connections have been established between Baghdad and Al-Qaeda. One of the theories presented is that doubts about Saudi Arabia after Sept. 11 led US strategies to seek a back-up supply of crude by controlling Iraq s vast oil reserves. Another interpretation is that America s ambition is to transform Iraq into a model democracy for the whole Arab world. Yet another explanation is that America wants to disarm Iraq from weapons of mass destruction to avoid another attack like that on Sept. 11. It may well be that the US fixation on Iraq is to capitalize on the window of opportunity made possible by the events of Sept. 11 and make a major strategic move. By imposing its military will, the US
