While the U.S. itself has invaded other small nations like British Grenada to sideline our Marine deaths in Lebanon (Israel); Panama to oust our reportedly former drug accomplice Noreiga; Columbia – Peru to quell rebels but ostensibly to stop drugs; Libya, it hypocritically derides Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait.

The West created Kuwait from Iran after World War I. It created other small nations like Yemen in the Persian Gulf. Iraq has a claim to Kuwait.

Sending 80,000 U.S. ground troops and our naval blockade of Iraq risks our troops and is not worth the price of oil or sidelining Savings and Loan thievery. We should have sought Arabian or U.N. troops for legitimacy – not our troops.

In contradicton, our objection to Iraq’s effort to raise oil pricing in Kuwait was not matched by White House objections to our oil companies’ price gouging, for, before any more foreign oil reached us, oil companies raised oil prices. The Illinois Attorney General did object.

Only five percent of Kuwait’s oil goes to us, and the rest supplies western Europe and Japan. We ignore Moslems when we put our troops on holy land in Saudi Arabia but maintain oil-rich Saudi kings.

The U.S. yearly spends $150 billion protecting Japan and NATO and we no longer have a Soviet threat.

For real energy security, the U.S. should stop funding the outmoded B2 stealth bomber, designed for bombing Soviet missiles and switch $37 billion of bomber funds to neglected alternative energy research like solar energy.

If Iraq did raise oil over $30 barrel, other sources like Mexican oil would compete.

But, when a superpower like the U.S. has insider Savings and Loan fraud or needs Congressional votes to fund more munitions to profit military-industrial complex during recession, it uses war or invasion.

The roots of war are domestic- not foreign. Guarding Persian oil interests costs $35 billion yearly and more now. Out of the Gulf.

Bernice Russell

Alumnus, 8/80

Economics