"It is clear that neither party to the conflict has the interests of the Iraqi people at heart. The US invaded and occupied Iraq to satisfy strategic calculations to do with the security of Israel and the free flow of cheap oil."

"Humans are probably the only beings who are certain that they will eventually die. But this reality does not seem to bother most of them a great deal."

"What lies behind Washington's declared intentions, then, is less a desire to placate Iraq than to domesticate the conflict set in motion by the invasion and subsequent occupation. The US administration is seeking to transform the conflict into an Iraqi-Iraqi war in which Washington will support one of the two sides."

"Islamophobia has been part of western culture since the Crusades, with Saddam and Osama only the latest in a long line of Arab bogymen."

"In New York, Hassidic Jews openly equate Zionism with Nazism, and consider the state of Israel to be a blasphemy. Are these people anti-Semitic?"

"What is amazing today is that although many of us debate what went wrong in Iraq, very few people in the political arena advocate a precipitous withdrawal. Bush's trip, and his remarks, ensure that the 2004 election will be about Iraq."

Disassociated Press
November 28, 2003

"So, Mr. Putin, what will it be? The challenge has been issued by Israel and very publicly. How do you, the Security Council and the United Nations, plan to respond to that open challenge?"