Concept: Saddam ~ Noriega

[ShadowHM]

A slim majority wanted independance and so it was had at great cost.  Then, an even smaller majority wanted to unite those colonies, and even then it took quite a while and some incredible state craft to do so.

And the U.S. had an advantage there that any similar group in the Mideast is unlikely to have today.

There was a place next door where those that dissented could go, where they were welcomed, where they could build a future and where they could become citizens. A place that was not merely a base for fomenting problems for the new young country.

What are the chances of any Iraqi who dissents of having that same opportunity? It certainly has not materialized for the Palestinians, who are still stateless refugees in many countries 50+ years later. I know that the circumstances are not identical. But the point about a place to go where they are welcomed and where a future within that country is possible is accurate, I fear.