Former Jordanian Prime Minister Taher Masri has perhaps given us the most incisive insight into feelings in the Middle East today, in a statement he made this morning in Cairo.. "..nobody denies (Hussein's) mistakes, nobody denies he loses more than he gains..and nobody denies his is not a democratic regeme, and that atorocities against Iraqi's by their own government are well known. Some of us try to ignore it, because we have a common battle to prevent American invasion, but the faults are there to be found, without much digging.."
Those who look at this situation as a simplistic expansionist move by the west are deluding themselves. Those who see this as nothing more than a grab for oil are utterly off track. Those who fill the already congested atmosphere with self-serving politically-correct rhetoric are nothing more than mountebanks, pushing their own particular brand of snake oil..
This, as was mentioned several months ago, is an ideological war, with geopolitical advantage the prize..
Ahh.. it must be noted that support for Hussein is not what it was back in '91.. he's tarnished his image.. blotted his copybook with the rest of the Islamic world..
But the cause remains..
And for the most part, it's the Islamic fundamentalist activists which have become the dominant voices in this struggle. And their goal, as stated, is for the removal of all western influence from the Middle East, entirely.
Which of course includes the State of Israel..