Are you confused by the United States’ foreign policy in the Middle East? Let’s begin.
- We support the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS.
2. We don’t like ISIS but ISIS is supported by Saudi Arabia who we do like.
- We don’t like Assad in Syria. We support the fight against him. But ISIS is also fighting against Assad.
- We don’t like Iran. But Iran supports the Iraqi government in its fight against ISIS.
- Some of our friends support our enemies.
- Some of our enemies are now our friends.
- And some of our enemies are fighting against our other enemies who we want to lose.
- But we don’t want our enemies who are fighting our enemies to win.
- If the people we want to defeat are defeated they could be replaced by people we like even less.
10. Reminding you all this was started by George W. Bush invading a country to drive out terrorists who weren’t actually there.
- But are there now.
Now do you understand American foreign policy??
I am currently reading political scientist Andrew Bacevich. He writes, “Since 1980 the United States has invaded, occupied or bombed 14 nations in the greater Middle East. If you’re following along at home let’s count them.
- Iran
- Libya
- Lebanon
- Kuwait
- Iraq
- Somalia
- Bosnia
- Saudi Arabia
- Afghanistan
- Sudan
- Kosovo
- Yemen
- Pakistan
- And now… Syria
So once again let’s do the math.
Tens of thousands of brave young men and women are wounded or dead. No one knows how many trillions have been lost and no one knows how many people in the Muslim world are dead or how many have become refugees. And I ask you for what?
Pat Buchanan asks that wonderful political question, are you better off now than you were 30 years ago with American policy in the Middle East?
Which terrorist organization do we want to win this battle?
In the news last week, al Qaeda and the Arabian peninsula, who the United States has been attacking for years, (remember the mind of George W. Bush — if you’re a Muslim and don’t like the United States you’re Taliban.) they sent a suicide bomber in an explosive filled automobile into a hospital occupied by Houthi rebels. Remember those boys? Their slogan was “Death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews and a victory to Islam.” As Pat Buchanan says, how do you figure this one?
The Houthis are fighting Al-Qaeda like Hezbollah is fighting Al-Qaeda. Both are Shia supported by Iran which is on our side against ISIS and Syria and Syria is on our side against the Islamic state in Iraq.
I have no idea what this is all about. Can you attempt to understand any of this?
I’ll leave you with this.
George W. Bush’s most compelling evidence for an invasion of Iraq was forged reports alleging Saddam Hussein had been secretly buying raw material to build an atomic bomb. Remember it. It was called the “Italian letter.”
Happy Thanksgiving.
— Peter