The US is not hankering for empire in the Middle East. The US is hankering to avoid a repeat of 9/11, which was, as Tom Friedman puts it, brought to you by the status quo.
The "status quo" is constant massive involvement in the ME for the last 50 years. I'm sure Friedman would like to avoid mention of that.
Now, that's been escalated by neocons, beyond massive involvement in a blood feud, to military occupation in the same blood feud.
This will end very badly, with a billion or so enemies endlessly fighting against the US instead, of a few million fighting each other to an accomodation, as they had in the days before the US helped Israel.
The bottom line is we do not have the answers to their problems. Our military involvement only makes matters infinitely worse, especially for American citizens.
As far as empire - I suspect history will show the neocons are already sharpening their knives for who gets to be Viceroy over countries in the ME, and lucrative commercial contracts in the many billions. In fact, just read PNAC on that subject. It's all about complete takeover by US military power, in a "use it or lose" it argument.
In the article, I have to agree journalists pander to totalitarian regimes. Its the other points I mention that I take issue with |
