Militarists for Peace! - Page 7

BigElCat · #61 10-14-2019, 12:25 AM

Keeping the oil fields would not have gone over very well with the rest of OPEC, or Russia, or anybody.

That would have been funny, though. Tell the Sauds "We're going to keep this one".

I guess we could have made it the 51st State.

Alliances come and they go. The US over-powered England and France during the Suez Crisis. We would have fought them if they didn't back down.

Our alliance with Israel is the only one that is unshakable, as far as I can tell.

Pio1980 · #62 10-14-2019, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigElCat

Keeping the oil fields would not have gone over very well with the rest of OPEC, or Russia, or anybody.

That would have been funny, though. Tell the Sauds "We're going to keep this one".

I guess we could have made it the 51st State.

Alliances come and they go. The US over-powered England and France during the Suez Crisis. We would have fought them if they didn't back down.

Our alliance with Israel is the only one that is unshakable, as far as I can tell.

Probably, but it isn't reasonable for them to expect us to rubber stamp anything and everything they do because of that assumption, including land grabs.

bobabode · #63 10-14-2019, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pio1980

From, of all sources, the American Enterprise Institute;

https://www.aei.org/foreign-and-defe...d-abandonment/

A conservative voice whinging in the wilderness. Too bad those feckers have been busy little bees tearing down the constitution and buying up the media and airwaves since Nixon.

Oerets · #64 10-14-2019, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigElCat

Our alliance with Israel is the only one that is unshakable, as far as I can tell.

Bet ya after Mr T stabbed the Kurd's in the back last week every country is now rethinking USA and it's word. May be it is better to build a Tower in their capital anymore.

Pio1980 · #65 10-14-2019, 12:59 PM

Re Iran;
The consequences of our problematic relation is purely of our own doing, and ours to undo with realistic diplomacy. Otoh, 9-11 was purely the product of Saudi salafist radicals, with planes hijacked by Saudi nationals. Al Quaida is a Saudi Salafist creation.
I assume Trump has holdings in Saudi Arabia and none in Iran, hence the misdirection, aided by Russian trolls.

Dondilion · #66 10-15-2019, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigElCat

Strategically, the invasion of Iraq was a complete success.

It's weak, destabilized, and available for use as a corridor for a larger Middle East war.

I'm not going to debate the morality of war, or even think about how the world would be if I was in charge. I'm just going talk what I think is going to happen.

John Bolton 2nd ?

Dondilion · #67 10-15-2019, 02:31 AM

Iraq was once Sunni dominated and a counter to Iran. Now it is Shia governed and with close links to Shia Iran.

finnbow · #68 10-15-2019, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dondilion

Iraq was once Sunni dominated and a counter to Iran. Now it is Shia governed and with close links to Shia Iran.

And that was the problem with Iraq. 30% of the population (Sunni) dominated 70% of the population (Shia). That's a recipe for disaster preordained by how the victors in WWI drew borders in the Mideast.

BigElCat · #69 10-15-2019, 06:53 AM

Iran had a fairly astute political leader some 70 years ago.

He wanted to be in charge of his own country, Nationalized the oil industry.

We couldn't allow that. Blowback gave rise to radicalized influence in Iran.

John Bolton 2nd ? Hardly.

finnbow · #70 10-15-2019, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigElCat

Iran had a fairly astute political leader some 70 years ago.

He wanted to be in charge of his own country, Nationalized the oil industry.

We couldn't allow that. Blowback gave rise to radicalized influence in Iran.

John Bolton 2nd ? Hardly.

An understatement, to be sure. We and the British orchestrated a coup of Mohammad Mosaddegh, the first democratically elected leader in the Mideast, in order to maintain control of Iranian oil.