# USA to Syria - another Iraq **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 24, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072 "2013-08-24T18:56:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![komolono](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/komolono/32/532_2.png) [@komolono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/komolono)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/41 "2013-09-02T06:52:01Z")
You know that public opinion on these forums is not what public opinion really is. There are several opponents of your opinion just to let you down. This is not my final word! ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/42 "2013-09-02T09:21:04Z")
I wish it was ---
**Author:** ![komolono](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/komolono/32/532_2.png) [@komolono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/komolono)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/43 "2013-09-02T09:36:52Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?searchid=10138320](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?searchid=10138320) All this and now even more. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/44 "2013-09-02T09:46:08Z")
> [@komolono](#): > > You are not making any sense - once being a superpower, you must make a stance. That is wage war??? I hope Obama meets me and I’ll dye his gray hair. I mean as a superpower the United States will naturally end up involved in a lot of conflicts. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/45 "2013-09-02T11:24:36Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Syria has no oil. It also doesn’t have the strategic value of Iraq. [**Syria intervention plan fueled by oil interests, not chemical weapon concern**](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/aug/30/syria-chemical-attack-war-intervention-oil-gas-energy-pipelines) [**A local subsidiary of the New York-listed company Genie Energy — which is advised by former vice president Dick Cheney and whose shareholders include Jacob Rothschild and Rupert Murdoch — will now have exclusive rights to a 153-square mile radius in the southern part of the Golan Heights.**](http://www.businessinsider.com.au/israel-grants-golan-heights-oil-license-2013-2) **[Syria’s Pipelineistan war This is a war of deals, not bullets.](http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/08/201285133440424621.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/46 "2013-09-02T12:12:32Z")
> [@camille](#): > > [**A local subsidiary of the New York-listed company Genie Energy — which is advised by former vice president Dick Cheney and whose shareholders include Jacob Rothschild and Rupert Murdoch — will now have exclusive rights to a 153-square mile radius in the southern part of the Golan Heights.**](http://www.businessinsider.com.au/israel-grants-golan-heights-oil-license-2013-2) > \*\* That makes no sense whatsoever. Why would a company drilling for oil near the Israeli-Syrian border want increased conflict? It seems as though they’d want things to quiet down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/47 "2013-09-02T13:26:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > That makes no sense whatsoever. Why would a company drilling for oil near the Israeli-Syrian border want increased conflict? It seems as though they’d want things to quiet down a bit. In a normal world, sure. I assumed it meant the conflict provides a diversion from questioning the legality of drilling there. Cheney on board is additional insurance. All roads lead to Dick Cheney. Seriously: When something in the world seems confusing, google Dick Cheney and a keyword for the confusion and poof, there it is. He fracked us, now he’s gonna frack you. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/48 "2013-09-02T13:41:26Z")
And if the world questioned the legality of drilling in the Golan, what would the world do about it? Israel has been doing stuff on the Golan Heights for over 40 years now - you can probably find wine from the Golan at any major liquor retailer in the U.S. Why do you think anyone would make a big deal about some oil drilling? ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/49 "2013-09-02T13:49:11Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > And if the world questioned the legality of drilling in the Golan, what would the world do about it? Israel has been doing stuff on the Golan Heights for over 40 years now - you can probably find wine from the Golan at any major liquor retailer in the U.S. Why do you think anyone would make a big deal about some oil drilling? Hezbollah might want to make a big deal about it if they weren’t preoccupied, no? So maybe it’s easier if they are tied up at the moment. As far as world players, I don’t think anyone would stop it, but there might be some pressure on US companies for profiting from it. JMO. What is your view of Ezrahi then? What else could he be talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/50 "2013-09-02T14:01:56Z")
> [@komolono](#): > > I have no idea. Based on what has been the post-WWII US policy, everything happens very far away from USA. WHY ARE WE SO AGGRESSIVE? Every president meets the question: not to wage war or to wage war (yes in perspective NOT is the first choice here). But why is it so far from the US? War on drugs: ask Snowden about it! If you find Snowden a creditable source for anything, other than a good example of how to toss your life in the shitter before you’re 30, then we need to have a long talk. War is an option, not a policy. If you really want to have fun with a conspiracy theory, go do a little research on the Turner Joy and the Maddox (the Gulf of Tonkin incident). Now, there’s a conspiracy theory for ya. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/51 "2013-09-02T14:29:22Z")
> [@camille](#): > > Hezbollah might want to make a big deal about it if they weren’t preoccupied, no? So maybe it’s easier if they are tied up at the moment. As far as world players, I don’t think anyone would stop it, but there might be some pressure on US companies for profiting from it. JMO. What is your view of Ezrahi then? What else could he be talking about? 1. Hizballah has never shown any interest in the Golan before; they’ve been careful to keep it out of their rhetoric and attacks. I don’t see how this would change anything. 2. Since when has pressure ever stopped an oil company? 3. Ezrahi is a longstanding left-wing activist and pundit. I respect him, but I don’t necessarily agree with his point of view. I think in this case, if there’s oil or gas under the Golan Israel will do it utmost to get to it, regardless of international opinion. Energy independence takes precedence over anything else in Israel. Besides, if the world cared about drilling in the Golan Heights, the world would say something about it, civil war or no civil war. A meteor the size of Texas heading toward earth wouldn’t stop the world from criticizing Israel (and probably blaming it for the meteor, too). ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/52 "2013-09-02T17:30:26Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > 1. Hizballah has never shown any interest in the Golan before; they’ve been careful to keep it out of their rhetoric and attacks. I don’t see how this would change anything. > > 2. Since when has pressure ever stopped an oil company? > > 3. Ezrahi is a longstanding left-wing activist and pundit. I respect him, but I don’t necessarily agree with his point of view. I think in this case, if there’s oil or gas under the Golan Israel will do it utmost to get to it, regardless of international opinion. Energy independence takes precedence over anything else in Israel. > > Besides, if the world cared about drilling in the Golan Heights, the world would say something about it, civil war or no civil war. A meteor the size of Texas heading toward earth wouldn’t stop the world from criticizing Israel (and probably blaming it for the meteor, too). It is genuinely enlightening to read the perspective of someone who actually lives in the Middle East. Thank you for sharing your perspective, **Alessan**. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/53 "2013-09-02T17:56:17Z")
> [@camille](#): > > Hezbollah might want to make a big deal about it if they weren’t preoccupied, no? Why would Hezbollah give two shits about the Golan Heights? The Golan was formerly a part of Syria not Lebanon and the Arabs living there consider themselves Syrian not Lebanese. It’s why whenever they protest or demonstrate against the Israelis they wave around Syrian flags and display pictures of whichever member of the Assad crime family is sitting on the throne. Now maybe if the Arabs of the Golan were Shia they’d care, but they’re not. They’re Druze. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/54 "2013-09-02T18:01:00Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > The Golan was formerly a part of Syria not Lebanon and the Arabs living there consider themselves Syrian not Lebanese. It’s why whenever they protest or demonstrate against the Israelis they wave around Syrian flags and display pictures of whichever member of the Assad crime family is sitting on the throne. I talked to quite a few Golan Druze. They told me, quite openly, that the waving around Syrian flags and protesting is an insurance policy. In case Syria again controls the Golan Heights (and especially during Rabin/Olmert years there was a definite possibility that would happen) they didn’t want to be pro- and persecuted. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/55 "2013-09-02T18:15:00Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > I talked to quite a few Golan Druze. They told me, quite openly, that the waving around Syrian flags and protesting is an insurance policy. In case Syria again controls the Golan Heights (and especially during Rabin/Olmert years there was a definite possibility that would happen) they didn’t want to be pro- and persecuted. That’s really beside the point to the current discussion which whether or not Hezbollah would care about the Golan Heights, which was never a part of Lebanon, and who’s people aren’t Lebanese and have never claimed to be. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072/56 "2013-09-03T01:55:24Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Hizballah has never shown any interest in the Golan before; they’ve been careful to keep it out of their rhetoric and attacks. I don’t see how this would change anything. Historically. But things change. A license to drill has never been granted before either. Plus, mutually beneficial peace is on shaky ground. Nasrallah had been making noise, which is expected, but it doesn’t make sense to completely ignore it. I’m no expert, of course, but I wouldn’t doubt the reports that Hezbollah has a new and gaining presence there, and is attempting to establish infrastructure, as it serves so many ends: Thwart the presence and stronghold of the al Nusra rebel faction and other Sunni rebels, establish a front against Israel, and secure and attain weapons and other perks promised from Iran. How could they _not_ be interested in the Golan with what’s going on now? Again, JMO. > [@](#): > > Ezrahi is a longstanding left-wing activist and pundit. I respect him, but I don’t necessarily agree with his point of view. I think in this case, if there’s oil or gas under the Golan Israel will do it utmost to get to it, regardless of international opinion. Energy independence takes precedence over anything else in Israel. I’m the lone lefty dove in my circle here, and I figured he wasn’t your primary go to pundit, but I appreciate your balanced perspective. I don’t see international opinion amounting to anything major either, as things stand now. > [@Terr](#): > > I talked to quite a few Golan Druze. They told me, quite openly, that the waving around Syrian flags and protesting is an insurance policy. In case Syria again controls the Golan Heights (and especially during Rabin/Olmert years there was a definite possibility that would happen) they didn’t want to be pro- and persecuted. I agree, and the Druze are in a difficult position, as they need to be seen as supportive of the presumptive winners. I don’t think there is real love for any contender at this point, and they are not solidly united behind anyone yet AFAIK. I would look at that as a sign of what is happening on the ground. As you said in another discussion, the best scenario for Israel is to foster the divisive elements, and encourage Hezbollah and the Sunni rebels to destroy each other as much as possible, but that doesn’t bode well for the Druze in the area. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-to-syria-another-iraq/667072.md?page=2)