Actually not bad ideas, though totally unworkable at present, like many plans of yours and Mq's. vbg
The idea in the ME was to keep things balanced, one set of bad guys focused on the nearly identically armed and powerful next set, e.g., the Iraqis under Saddam keeping a beady eye on Iran under the MadMullahs and Saudi Arabia keeping the cash flowing as needed. Saddam of course spanked as necessary when he tried to upset the apple cart but always returning to keep his beady little eyes on Iran. Israel and Egypt get lots of cash to keep their own folks in line, and so forth. Oh sure, an embassy gets blown up every now and then, and there is some risk to the strategy, but it was a hell of a lot better than millions of stirred up Muslims wacking heads and blowing themselves up and making themselves a terrible nuisance by making ever more deviously destructive plans.
Everybody happy, no one is more powerful than the next guy, who is watched carefully and kept in line by his neighbor. The oil flows like it should and the West is happy and peaceful except for the occassional explosion. In a word, the ME oil patch is under our control, and for not too terribly high a price.
Ah, the good old days. We could have given the Talibanis unshirted hell, probably captured OBL in no time flat, and looked good for the rest of the world. After all, Afghanistan is not exactly a great strategic hub. And the Muslims would have really respected the fact that we took care of Afghanistan in a matter of weeks whereas the brutal Russians could not do anything in years. That kind of effectiveness creates respect and fear, two things dear to the Muslim mind.
But 9/11 changed all that because it ultimately put us in Iraq. The last remaining bulwark against Iranian expansionism is gone at a time when we need one.
Where's Saddam now that we could really use his services?
Now you know why Bush's father knew better than to finish Saddam off when he could. The old farts knew the subtle art of governing an empire effortlessly. |
