So the Pentagon has said that France, Russia, and Germany cannot bid on Iraq contracts, but they insist that is not meant to punish them.
Instead, they have trotted out their favorite phrase: national security. These rules are meant to encourage nations to join the coalition if they want the cash--"joining" in the sense of saying "sure we're with you."
Rumsfeld's spokesperson admits that joining the coalition will be politically risky for national leaders. Of course, taking political risks is only a problem if leaders need to worry about whether the people will reelect them. There is a certain category of world leader who need not bother with whether the people agree with their decisions. These contract rules seem like the best way to ally ourselves with dictators and discourage democracy among our coalition.
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