Tenchusatsu, RE: "I've heard that argument before, that if we just get out of the Middle East, Osama will leave us alone"
He certainly has left alone every country that hasn't deployed troops into the ME.
RE: "And that's entirely possible if we could just drive less"
I think you meant to say that if we were pragmatic and spent $300B on alternative energy uses/sources rather than $400B/year on a so-called "pre-emptive" war.
RE: "abandon Israel"
What does the removal of USA military troops have to do with abandoning Israel? The military is useless in preventing bin Laden's brand of attack. CIA agents would be more useful. In fact, an Israeli defense person essentially said the US military might have made things worse by creating a civil war in Iraq that could lead to a worse leader than Saddam.
RE: "However, I subscribe to a different argument...They feel it is their duty to spread a political and cultural revolution across the entire world, not just in the Middle East"
You need to get more exposure to international countries and live in a foreign country and experience what THEY experience when we invade THEIR culture with our violent movies, mcdonald's, pornography, and other capitalistic illnesses.
You also are hypocritical if you think it's perfectly okay to spread (impose) evangelistic Christianity onto others but not Islam.
It's also inappropriate to think the USA can be imperialistic and assume it can impose capitalism throughout the world. We can ASK if a country wants to engage in trade, conduct capitalism, but we should never force this nor impose our way onto others.
RE: "a Western withdrawal from the Middle East would only be regarded as a retreat and an opportunity to expand their power base"
No, it would be an opportunity for the USA to gain respect in the world and thus be an effective counter balance to any weird regime that tries to get imperialistic and imposing onto other countries. But if we impose onto others, we lose all respect. It's more effective to lead by example, than by force.
RE: "I'd rather not wait until that point just to say, "I told you so."
No, you'd rather lose all foreign respect, become powerless in the process, and bankrupt this country before crying "uncle." I'd rather be proactive by leading by example, and be strategic and effective.
RE: "Do you think she should get out of the Middle East just because you think Osama wants us out?"
Women in Iraq had substantially more rights than they do now.
Regards,
Amy J |
