The 3 decade US war on the middle east

Great Debates
1

We live in a world turned upside down, where for a nation that has gone half-way around the world to attack defenseless countries and has killed over a million people is now threatening to attack yet another country to enforce international law. It can’t get any crazier than that, and yet, it’s the world we live in.

In the last 3 decades the US, and its ally Israel has bombed 14 Muslim countries. If Obama and AIPAC get their way it will soon be 15. In addition the US has military bases in 19 countries in the region. To read more, and to see a map showing countires bombed and countries containing US military bases, see…

http://www.loonwatch.com/2011/12/eye-opening-graphic-map-of-muslim-countries-that-the-u-s-and-israel-have-bombed/

I was out on a date the night when the video started coming in of US cruise missiles lighting up Baghdad like a pinball machine. It was unbelievable then, a war based on lies (that the Iraqi troops were massed on the SA border), against a country no one had heard of or cared about, and yet it immediately had the approval of the populace, at least to the extent of giving favorable responses to survey questions. That was the start of the real insanity, and it has continued to this day.

2

When in the last 30 years did Israel or the US bomb Jordan and Egypt? I’m not recalling those ones.

3

Is Syria supposed to be the fifteenth country? Because it’s already included in your list of fourteen.

Why do you include countries where the United States had military bases in with countries where the United States has dropped bombs - there’s a pretty big divide between our allies and our enemies. And why include Israeli bombings in with American bombings?

Is Kuwait the country you’re claiming nobody had heard of before Iraq invaded it? I would dispute that people are as ignorant as you claim. But even if it was true, so what? Do countries deserve to be invaded just because you haven’t heard of them?

4

Which defenseless country did we attack, again?

5

All of them, apparently.

6

yawn Where to even begin? First, the US and Israel are not allies. They are very friendly nations, but there is no military alliance pledging mutual aid in the event of war or attack by a third party. The US and the nations of NATO are allies, which is why NATO nations sent troops to Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks on the US. Second, a cite that the US has killed over a million in the Middle East would be nice. Third, your list of Muslim nations that either the US or Israel has bombed is interesting, to say the least. Let’s take a quick look at a few, shall we?

Afghanistan - You’ve got to be kidding. They were harboring those responsible for the attacks on 9/11 and refused to turn them over.

Pakistan - The Taliban has operated on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border during the Afghan war.

Libya - In 2011, it was at the request of one side in a civil war and in response to Quaddafi attacking civilians. In 1986, it was in response for the Berlin discotheque bombing.

Iran - Sorry, the US has never bombed Iran, which your cite had added as “An Informed Comment reader named Shannon pointed out that in fact the United States bombed Iran in 1988 during Operating Praying Mantis” which is bullshit, unless Iranian naval vessels and oil platforms count as Iranian territory. You should also note that Operation Praying Mantis was conducted in response to Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf.

On to nations Israel has bombed:

Egypt - Again, you’ve got to be shitting me. The last time Israel bombed Egypt was during the 1973 War which started with a surprise attack on Israel by Egypt.

All of it’s other neighbors, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine: Israel has fought wars with (Jordan and Syria) or had rockets fired on it from them (Lebanon and Palestine).

They also bombed Tunisia to attack the headquarters of the PLO which was located there. As to how many times poor Iraq could get bombed by the US and Israel, Iraq was at war with Israel in both 1973 and 1967, and the 1981 bombing was to destroy the Osirak nuclear reactor.

7

You lost me right there.

8

Obviously you’re not Australian.

9

From the Bitch Obama (referencing the Michelle Bachman thread title), in last night’s speech on how he has failed in foreign policy in Syria…

“Neither Assad nor his allies have any interest in escalation that would lead to his demise, and our ally, Israel, can defend itself with overwhelming force, as well as the unshakable support of the United States of America.”

10

I don’t see why describing Israel as an “ally” of the U.S. is a big deal. Sure, it’s not an alliance in the sense of the countries that ganged up on the Axis in WW2, but it’s a close economic and military relationship (though not nearly as close as U.S./U.K. or U.S./Canada), even if there are sometimes conflicting goals.

11

It’s not that big of a deal, but it gets tossed around by the very pro and very anti-Israel crowds. Close economic and military relationships do not an alliance make. Note you state it’s not nearly as close as US/UK or US/Canada. All three countries are members of NATO, and within the described area of NATO an attack upon one is an attack upon all. America has been attacked and Israel has not come to its aid with military force, and Israel has been attacked and the US has not come to Israel’s aid with military force. An attack upon Israel is not an attack upon the US, and an attack upon the US is not an attack upon Israel. Note also the last part of the Obama quote “[Israel] can defend itself with overwhelming force, as well as the unshakable support of the United States of America.” Israel does not need the US to defend it, they’ve been doing that quite well for themselves since 1948. That unshakable support of the USA does not and has never included an assurance or even a mere hint of US troops defending Israel or treating an attack upon Israel as an attack upon the US.

NATO action in response to 9/11 were the result of invoking Article 5:

12

Don’t you think it’s an odd coincidence that ALL of Israel’s wars have been fought in the Middle East?

13

You can look at it as some kind of American obsession with the Middle East, or you can look at it as the result of the inability of much of that area of the world to play nice with their own citizens and the rest of the world.

14

“play nice” LOL. I love the folksey metaphors on this board.

The trouble is this kindergarden has a torturing, kidnapping, child-murdering, law-ignoring imperial fuckwit of a rogue state for a head teacher.

15

Thanks in part to the actions of America and other outside powers making sure that tyranny flourishes and the chaos continues.

It doesn’t have the power projection to fight wars elsewhere, unlike America. It’s not a virtue to refrain from doing something you can’t do in the first place.

16

Not true. Israel can turn Belgium into a parking lot if they wanted. They choose not to.

17

Hang on, five decades late, are some Americans finally moving on from the ‘Jews pushed back into the sea’ narrative?

18

It must be hard waking up in the morning trying to decide if today you hate America more than Israel or the other way around.

19

Oooh, it’s about me now. How exciting.

20

Yeah, but it can’t land a single tank there. And nuking the place would ruin all the beer and chocolate, so what’s the point?

Actually projecting force - beyond the odd missile, air strike or commando team - is beyond Israel’s capability, just as it is beyond the capability of all but four or five countries in the world.