John, calm down. We know the U.S. can make a difference. We all know that. We know the U.S. makes a difference to just about anything that gets its attention. But just because you can make a difference doesn't mean that's a good thing.
Case in point. You made a difference in Iraq. You got rid of Saddam and gave the country a new government. It's a really crappy government, largely beholden to Iran, and the country remains poised on the brink of civil war that's already claiming anywhere from 800 to 1,000 lives a month. So, yeah, you made a difference.
You made a difference, of sorts, in Afghanistan. You got rid of the Taliban and gave the country a new government. It's a really crappy government, largely beholden to warlords and druglords, and the country remains poised on the brink of a civil war that's already claiming no one knows how many lives. So, yeah, you made a difference.
Now you want to make a difference, of sorts, in Syria. You want to help get rid of the Assad government and give Syrians a new government. That's more likely than not going to wind up a really crappy, radical Islamist government, largely beholden to - wait for it - the Wahhabists, if Assad falls, and Iran, if he doesn't.
Yes, John, we know the U.S. can make a difference. We all know that. We also know that, most often, it's a really shitty difference.
The greater the magnitude of American apocalyptic rhetoric, Mound, the greater the magnitude of their lies.
ReplyDeleteLorne, is it their lies or their sheer incompetence and hubris. They still believe this unipolar superpower nonsense. They see themselves as the policeman of the globe, writing the rules as they go, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound. They keep dragging themselves into these low-intensity, perpetual conflicts ignoring the fact that they have the attention span of a six year old and the staying power to match.
ReplyDeleteAmerica's allies are no longer snapping to attention when Washington blows its bugle but the Americans haven't grasped the meaning of that.
I don't think that's an "or" question, Mound.
ReplyDeleteYeah, fair enough.
ReplyDeleteTheir meddling in Libya and Somalia has also made life a real treat, too.
ReplyDeleteRegime change = chaos = unchecked rape of resources or political interference in the rape of others.