We have set back our relations with the ME by probably 20 years at least.
Well, you're wrong, but I don't think you can comprehend why you're wrong. The MidEast is a "system" of nations, and while you can have malfunctioning regions, when you have a central player that is malfunctioning it is apt to cause the entire system to malfunction. Iraq was the most broken of the Arab nations.
We are in the process of fixing Iraq -- a process which will take a while, but probably not as long as has been predicted by pundits. Two years from now, Iraq will have been pumping 2-3M bbls of oil a day for a year or more, and there will be plenty of money.
This is going to have a stablizing influence on the entire region. Syria, a major problem in the Palestinian conflict, is being told that we won't allow them to continue supporting killing innocent civilians in Israel.
NEVER, in my memory, has the United States had a more sensible, comprehensive, and coordinated policy in the Middle East. The current administration has, quite simply, nailed the strategy for dealing with terrorism -- and it involves stablizing Iraq, getting some control over Syria, and having a consistent policy with respect to the Palestinians.
Again, I don't expect you to comprehend this stuff as it is complicated. But it is just crystal clear to me that the best foreign policy minds in existence are being called on to bring about change in the MidEast that will have the effect of reducing the threat of another 9/11, while at the same time destroying bin Laden's (and others') ability to get at us. |
