I am struggling to reconcile the various narratives I see on display here.
Every time we intervene in the Middle East, no matter how benevolent we are trying to be, it just ends up pissing people off. Even when a Middle Eastern government invites us, like the government of Saudi Arabia did, it still makes people made and foments terrorism. And many people hold the deluded belief that America “created” ISIS (we didn’t, the Iraqis and Syrians did, but that’s okay because we’re talking about narratives rather than reality).
So for what possible reason would we want to intervene in Syria? The Arab world has spent decades telling us that we are not welcome. Why should we intervene to help them now?
It is completely illogical that the same people who hate us and want us out of the Middle East should now want our help. And it is completely illogical that the people who believe we are criminals and believe we foment violence should want us to intervene? WTF is going on here? I’m completely lost.
These are the same people who support Sharia, Islamic supremacism, who hate the west and rejoice whenever someone hurts us. For what possible reason would I want to help them? The Muslims WANT ISIS. This is the logical end result of everything they’ve worked towards for decades. For what possible reason would I deny them this?
I spent my fair share of time in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every single day I worked my ass off because I genuinely wanted to help people. I met a lot of the people who lived there, and I like to think that I treated them in the fairest way I possibly could. I didn’t want their oil, I didn’t want a staging ground to attack Iran, or any of the other nonsense people talk about. I just wanted to kill terrorists.
And every night I came home and listened to people tell me that I was a criminal, that I was killing innocent people, that we only made things worse, and that we were creating more terrorists just by being there.
So then why should I go to fight ISIS? If I’m a criminal, then ISIS is right to do what they do and I would be wrong to intervene. If I kill innocent people, and any intervention in Syria will necessarily involve killing innocent people, then why would I do it? If American intervention in the Middle East only makes things worse, why should we intervene? And if through our efforts we only create more terrorists, then it is only logical that we should stop trying.
The one message I have heard overwhelmingly over the past 15 years is that the American military is evil and criminal, and we should leave the Middle East to its own devices. Okay. Message received. You guys have fun killing each other, and let us know how it turns out. I can think of no conceivable reason why we should intervene in this fight.
You’re totally right. If centuries of Western philosophy has taught us anything, it is that if you can’t help everyone, help no one. I believe St Augustine called this the “did you bring enough gum for everyone?” rule, which has been passed down through Catholic schools for generations.
Yeah, that three year old kid who drowned while trying to seek safety was basically worse that Osama bin Laden. If he hadn’t have drowned, his next move would have been to suicide bomb a church while shouting “Allah ackbar!” and simultaneously using his little toddler hands to impose Sharia on Christian white women.
Just curious: were you a US soldier on the ground, or in some other capacity (as a contractor, perhaps) in those two countries?
I am always interested to hear from people who saw things up front, first hand, and are not just regurgitating what they think they know from their favorite, biased, MSM sewage plant.
The world is so lucky to have the USA provide this bombing solution, whether missiles, planes or drones. Right now it’s working in a huge area from Afhanistan and Pakistan, across to Syria and Iraq, all the way down the Gulf coast to Yemen. On the way, we can note the great allies of the USA Israel and Saudi Arabia.
With so many variations of the proven US solutions put so keenly into practice, what a time it is to be alive in that region. What friends the US continues to win.
The US uses bombs because we don’t have the political will to use soldiers.
We do not have the political will due to experience in 2003.
We will be paying for Bush II’s screw-up for at least a generation.
And Bush II was set up by Bush I.
The proximate cause of 9/11/01 was the US suddenly dis-engaging the Mid East to re-concentrate on - get this: Russia.
Condi Rice’s expertise was the USSR.
As to how the US got to be the sworn enemy of so may Muslims: Saudi Arabia.
We have infidel soldiers “occupying” the sacred ground of Arabia. Huge problem. Adding to that: Every Muslim in the world knows that, behind the walls of the US “Enduring Camps”*, the infidels are violating just about every High Holy Tenant of Islam: Running around half-naked, drinking alcohol, using porn, and screwing like mink.
The Salafist/Wahhabi sect is the Official State religion of S.A. The Ibn Saud likes it because it strongly promotes the idea that “He who Rule Holy Lands is Right”. The vast majority of the 9/11 attackers were Saudi.
we cannot call them “Bases” - that would mean they were permanent. Yes, their presence IS a HUGE issue.
Do you know why the rest of the world doesn’t use bombs?
As a general proposition, in the past 10 years how much bombing would there be in the world without the USA?
While I am no fan of the US fighting against Da-esh, there is an argument to be made that it’s our problem, since it would not have come into existence if we hadn’t fucked around in Iraq in the first place. However, the threat of Da-esh is much more immediate to the regional powers, and I’d rather see the US take a back seat role to those powers as they lead the charge to deal with this monstrously evil organization. Hell, even Europe is more threatened by Da-esh than the US is.
We probably shouldn’t have left Iraq. However, we should withdraw from the Mid East. We should probably get rid of Muslims in this country as well. I’m sick of them and their filthy faces. They disgust me. Honestly. They do not share this country’s values. They have done jack for this country.