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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim S who wrote (23230)	7/7/2006 4:39:49 PM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541489

The problem in Iraq is leaving it to a hostile Shia majority who want to kick the Sunnis' asses back to last week, followed by the Kurds who have a few scores to settle. But that's the nature of the country we decided to break and "own" to use the Pottery Barn metaphor. One thing folks never contemplate in these nationbuilding ventures is that some places may just be too f'ed up to turn into sweet, charming oases. I know Bosnia was. It only works with foreign occupation. I think Iraq is too but I have never been there, know little about Arabs and Kurds and can't be counted as an expert. I'd love to see peace break out all over there. Won't hold my breath, however. As for the other messed up dumps in the world, we aren't Rome. We can't just invade and absorb every problematic corner of the globe. Hell, even the Romans gave up on Scotland when they saw these crazed pagans living in that icebox and painted blue. Some places - like Somalia - are better left as walled off insane asylums. Regardless, Bush has taught us the limits of our military, financial and political capital. That's why the "world's only superpower" thing is true only up to a limited point. If we try to be Rome, we will fall a lot faster than they did.

To: Jim S who wrote (23230)	7/7/2006 10:15:35 PM
From: thames_sider	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541489

Iran, N Korea, Syria, and Somolia. All are terrific threats to world stability On North Korea, I agree. What earthly threat is Somalia to anything or anyone, outside its immediate neighbours? It isn't even a country any more, just a morass of warring factions. Ugly and a humanitarian nightmare, but hardly bothering the rest of the world. Syria? Well, they're pushing for the Golan Heights to be returned to them. Erm, I'm struggling... regime elements are possibly behind the assassination of some Lebanese politicians they don't like... a threat to the world? Hardly. Iran. Now, interesting case. They've got a lot of oil. They've got a president who's sounding nearly as mad as the Koreans', and more unpleasant, but fortunately doesn't actually weld the power. Their neighbours on either side have been invaded by the US, and the governments replaced by bodies supported and requiring the US to keep power, and the US has huge military bases to either side... Their other two neighbours are also both nuclear powers with hostile religions... and they want nuclear weapons themselves, they claim for self defense. They've only been involved in one war since they were founded, and that was when they were invaded (by a country the West all helped arm). They've certainly backed some extremely vile terrorist groups in the past: these days, the remains of those groups seem to act only in occupied Palestine. Still can't see them as a world threat. Unstable themselves, yes. If they topple or are toppled, regional stability will go with them, certainly. But not themselves any threat. Think about it. The US, alone, spends more on weapons than the next 15 countries in the world, put together. It's got more ships, more subs, more planes and more nukes, plus unparallelled satellite and intelligence resources. How threatened need you feel? BTW, check it out... since 1975 (say), what countries have invaded or put active military forces into what other countries or territories? The answers may surprise you. But once you see it, this helps explain a lot of other international politics.