Since when is the U.S. military in the business of nation-building?

Question

I thought they were supposed to be protecting the U.S.

Am I wrong?

And if your answer is that they are protecting us, please elaborate. In what way is Iraq a viable and immediate threat to the U.S. that we need protection from?

Thank you, pfo, for telling the truth.

Iraq is not, and never has been, a threat.

We invaded under false pretenses.

We are monsters.

Answer 1

Since Bush. Protection of our interests is one thing, invading a country already under restrictions is another. We hear a lot about how our troops are protecting our freedom, but not there, they weren't a threat to us and by performing so poorly we have opened ourselves up to other nations to see if we will do as poorly there if they challenge us. Its not the troops fault they did well and fought bravely and won the war, its the leaders fault for having no exit plan or strategy.

Answer 2

Sometimes nation building does protected the US, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and now Iraq.

Iraq is not, and was not a threat. But the middle east is. It's a breeding ground for US hatred. I suspect that transforming Iraq into a democracy is part of a broader plan to showcase positive western ideals in the middle east, to counteract negative messages (something has to, it's not like they're going to wake up and say "Hey, those Americans? They're not all that bad...")

Answer 3

I'd say we started after the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Mexican American War, after ww1 and ww2, Korean war and Vietnam war
So almost every war the USA has rebuild or Built a country
There would be no Japan, Germany, or Korea. If the USA didn't do Nation Building
If not the USA who??the useless UN?

Answer 4

We've been in the "nation-building business" since the end of WWII. And, no, it has nothing to do with protecting our country from threats. It's all about economics and ideology. I think of it as the "Manifest Destiny" doctrine gone haywire... We've gone from a nation trying to survive to a nation trying to make everyone just like us. I think we've taken the Evangelism of modern Christianity and melded it with our love for our government system, and become missionaries of "democracy". Very dangerous...

Answer 5

Put as succinctly and as simply as I possibly can, the U.S. military has been in the business of nation building, since it donned on corporate America, and their cronies in the Bush administration, that nation building would be a highly profitable venture. That is our only incentive to rebuild Iraq, because it would provide lucrative contracts for corporate America. Any notion of protecting Iraqi lives, establishing a free democratic system, or preserving liberty for the Iraqis is a deceitful pretext used to mask the true motivation of profit making.

Answer 6

We got into the business of nation building shortly after we dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan. After that we rebuilt that country and we rebuilt most of Europe. We appeared to be pretty good at it after Germany and Japan. I mean they took our model and perhaps improved on it. That is why they are two of the most efficiently run countries in the world. Not to mention the kind of technological and scientific advances that have come from these countries. Maybe that's what we should do to Iraq, Nuke it then rebuild it in our image. Its worked before, why not again? Thanks and have a nice day.

Answer 7

In one form or another the US Military has always been in the business of "Nation Building" since the creation of The USA

Answer 8

It started 3 days after the Russian Army entered Berlin.

The German people begged America to help.

Go big Red Go

Answer 9

Since the 1950's.

Answer 10

Ironically enough, when Bush campaigned for the Presidency, he said he would "not" be a nation builder.