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In addition to the entitlement program we are providing for Iraq right now it is important to keep in mind that the entire modern middle east was built on a different sort of entitlement program. Oil. The elite controlling the government don't need to have a vibrant economy with an industrious middle class they can tax to live off of. They only need to sell their oil. Then they end up having to spend a lot of this money to appease and/or repress the common folk who feel left out. This leads to the Osama Bin Ladens of the world. This is of course a gross simplification, but you get the idea.
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