For Better Or Worse

clipped from www.strategypage.com May 26, 2008:  In the last year, Iraq has bought over $3 billion worth of U.S. weapons and military equipment. Those purchases are increasing. According to Iraqi officers, many of whom served during the 1991 and 2003 operations, their former Russian equipment was clearly inadequate compared to U.S. material. The big orders will come when the Iraqis start looking for new tanks and warplanes. The only two suppliers of new tanks are the U.S. and Russia, and the Iraqis have had it with Russian stuff. The Europeans may snag some aircraft sales with the adroit use of bribes (which European governments are more tolerant of, and Iraqis very receptive to.) Tank and warplane sales could amount to over a hundred billion dollars. Recent oil exploration activities in Iraq, indicate new oil fields that could make Iraq's reserves larger than those in Saudi Arabia (currently sitting the largest deposits of oil in the world.) Iraq is thinking big, for better or worse.