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Originally Posted by Superbelt
People seem to have it in their head that Iraq is a backwards nation. Of all the middle east, Iraq and Syria are the most westernized, with the highest standard of living.
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Where did you get this info from? I find it very hard to believe that Iraq and Syria offer higher standards of living than Kuwait, the UAE or Qatar, or are more westernized than Lebanon, the UAE or Egypt.
In two recent studies carried out in the Middle East, one by the BBC and the other by Al Watan, a Saudi newspaper, more people in the region side with Osama Bin Laden than George Bush - not because they like Bin Laden, but because they absolutely detest Bush.
I find it hard to be optimistic about Iraq's future. Ironically, the removal of Saddam has opened up the doors for the first time to many of the elements that the US alleged were already in place in Iraq. Al Qaeda now has strong support in the region and no-one to stop them infiltrating it and establishing themselves. I fear another Taliban regime in Iraq over the course of the next year or so.