NP - If You Don't Like the Facts Charge Conspiracy

[David Morris]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-war-arabreax11apr11004423,1,7773578.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dworld

[...]

In many capitals, Arabs expressed anger at Hussein for not fighting to defend
his capital.

"All that talk, and it turns out he's a liar and coward," said Fuoud Salah, a
Cairo lawyer. "He shouldn't have given up so easily."

The irony in those sentiments is that if Hussein had made a stand in Baghdad,
it would have led to more Iraqi civilian casualties -- the very thing that has
sparked such outrage at the United States in the Arab world.

To explain the Iraqi regime's unexpectedly sudden disintegration, many Arabs
had an easy answer: There was a conspiracy -- as there is in the Arab world to
explain virtually every happening involving non-Muslims. In this case, Hussein
was in cahoots with the United States all along, as Washington wanted someone
to keep the region unstable. Now, having secured bases in the Persian Gulf
states, Washington no longer finds Hussein useful and has cut a deal with him
to disappear.

It is a theory given wide credence by even middle-class Arabs.

"There's something very suspicious about what happened in Baghdad," said Janice
Chill, a Cairo travel agent. "Maybe Saddam has just gone underground and is
preparing for the real war. I don't believe we've seen the end. Even the
pictures of Iraqis celebrating weren't quite convincing."

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