why is the U.S. still in the middle east?????

Question

why the hell are we doing there???

Answer 1

~I read this and the myriad questions like it, then I read the answers and I have to ask myself, "Why, 6 years ago, was I called a pinko terrorist loving traitor and invited to leave the country simply because I said then that the invasions (leave us not forget Georgie's other abysmal failure in Afghanistan) were illegal, immoral and unwinnable?". Gee, seems folks woke up. Not because they have come around to rational thought, but because, God forbid, body bags come home from war zones.

Sadly, I am now in another minority. While I still firmly believe Georgie should be brought to trial for war crimes and congress should be turned out on its ear en-masse for letting him get away with it (I'll leave Tony Blair to the Brits), I can still read the lessons of history (not to mention common sense.)

Neither Iraq nor Afghanistan had anything to do with WTC or 9/11. Saddam's WMD's (that we gave him) had long since been depleted against Iran and did not exist in '01. Iraq posed no threat to the US or US interests (we get our oil from Osama's kin, the Saudis and the "Yanqui go home" Latinos). The reconstruction was going to be financed with Iraqi oil while the Iraqi hoi poloi threw roses at the invading heroes? Duh. Yo, Georgie, they didn't like us before: thanks so much for restoring relations between the US and Arab/Moslem world. Keep killing for peace, my man. But hey, let's not forget how your granddaddy made the family fortune by being the US banker for the Nazis even while your daddy was training to fly against them. (I won't go there, but the facts do. Look it up.)

Afghanistan cannot be conquered and occupied. The Persians tried and failed. So did the Brits. So did the Soviets. Hell, even Genghis Khan gave up. But Uncle Sam was going to do it by simply letting Pakistan and India resume their nuclear programs? Good move, that one. And in return we got useless rights of passage over impassable mountains to chase a ghost? God Bless America. Or, as the new warlords in Afghanistan would put it, "God Damn America" as they reap the record poppy harvests under protection of the US armed forces. How's that for fighting the war on drugs? {Why not give some of the heroine profits to DEA instead of cutting their budget and give them back the power you raped them of instead of stealing my civil rights with your "Patriot Act"? What, too busy watching out for due process at Gitmo?} [I am thankful I am not a CIA field spook or I'd now have to be worried about your boys blowing my cover, wouldn't I - and you wanted a piece of Bill Clinton over a blojob?] America still has her WMD's - Wasted Motherloving Demagogues. (Yeah, O'Reilly, that one was for you - and your buddy Sean Hannity.)

Anyhow, now that Saddam is gone, so to is the only stabalizing force in the Middle East. With him gone, after the Sunnis and Shiites get done killing the Kurds, and each other, the winner will surely turn on Israel - again. In the meantime, as soon as the "coalition" forces (spelled US Army, USMC, US Navy and US Air Force) pull out, the Syrians, Saudis and Iranians will jump right in. Watch for the fireworks. [And maybe a mushroom or two.]

The mistake was made way back when I was the unpatriotric traitor and the invasions were launched. Forget about the legality or morality of that. That they were doomed to failure was obvious enough for a blind man to see. (At least a blind man with a thimble full of common sense and a third grade education in history.) Why compound that mistake by pulling out with the job not even half started. We need to stay now for at least another 10 years, or until a new strong man can be found to fill in for Saddam.

Give democracy to Iraq? Learn a little about the people, their culture, their customs and their history. Its laughable. But hey, if we kill enough of their civilians, it could work; we could shove it down their throats against their will.

Get used to the body bags. There's going to be a lot more. And if we pull out, there will be exponentially more when we go back in (as we will when the wars start in earnest or when Israel or Saudi Arabia get jumped.

You have no right to even ask the question today unless you were asking it half a decade ago (or were to young to ask). These are the seeds the neocons and their 98% majority sowed. Let's hope they have the guts to stick around and reap the harvest, as pulling out now would be an ever bigger mistake (and sin) than going in in the first place.

The next time someone decides to fly a plane into a building, maybe you'll have a better understanding of why they would want to do it. I doubt it, given the sabre rattling and support for plowing full speed ahead into the abyss of North Korea and Iran as recently as a year ago. So it goes.

Answer 2

From what I've learned as a student it seems that action in the middle east has been the result of many factors. Certainly defense of lucrative oil platforms and companies in the middle east has played a key factor in sending troops to "bring democracy" to iraq and afghanistan but I also think that many politicians and politicos from around the world, not just the US, wish to control the middle east to make sure something more serious than a terrorist attack doesn't leak out.

I won't deny that the bush administration seems to deny the evidence that the war is an unpopular one but, as president eisenhower warned way back in the day, we need to, as a nation, ween our dependence off a millitary-industrial complex. This means that war is profitable even if it isn't moral for the united states governement and big business.

I think the issue of the middle east war and global warming are intrinsicly tied together because there seems to be a lot of misinformation surrounding the two.

Answer 3

In my experience, peoples of other nations are not as obsessed about money as Americans can be, but, I do think there is resentment among the people of the mid-east towards Americans, and more generally, the west. Part of this resentment stems from Israel, but, also, the middle eastern nations had a proud heritage, they were the pinnacle of enlightenment until the 15th century or so. They were leaders in philosophy, the arts, the sciences, and in commerce for a thousand years or more. The west then became the strongest in these cultural areas while middle eastern nations too a back seat. Militarily, the 17th century spelled the doom of the mid east. Now, they demand recognition based on pride, and, have wrapped this racial pride around religion, and, well, we are at odds. God help us all...

Answer 4

We need the oil. If we aren't there, other countries will be waiting in the wings to come in, notably the Chinese. Our need for oil is the greatest national security risk since the Cold War. When we get off of foreign dependency of oil, they can swim in the stuff.

Answer 5

America is too arrogant to give up. America will stay there until a democratic president takes over.

And then thanks to all the hatred we're spreading, THAT'S when the terrorists will come and kick our asses since all of our soldiers will have unfortunately died (brave heroes).

And then the conservatives will say that we needed more troops to prevent this and the liberals were wrong, blah blah blah.

There is no reason to be there now, we need to start talking and stop fighting.

Answer 6

You "War for Oil" people really need to move on. It's obviously not. Regardless of how much you want to believe it.

We are in the Middle East because the Middle East came to us. They have bombed Naval ships, set off bombs in our cities, plotted to destroy bridges, declared a Holy War on the west, and, oh, on a tuesday morning six years ago they brought down the Twin Towers attacked the pentagon and killed heroic passengers on a plane in a Pennsylvannia field.

Not the entire Middle East, but enough nutjobs who can't wait to meet Allah and want to take as many people with them as they can. Burying our heads in the sand will not work, they will not go away. Something needs to be done to stablilize that region, and it's gonna have to be by force cause it's obvious to anyone with a brain these terrorists don't want to negotiate, so we don't have to wake up one morning to find that another city has been attacked by terrorists. That it why we are in the Middle East.

Answer 7

Actually, the US is still in North America.

US stormtroopers and war profiteers are in the middle east.

Answer 8

Because if we get out now there will be a power vacuum and Iran or someone else could take advantage of the mess we made.

Answer 9

The U.S. is between Canada and Mexico. It's not in the Middle East.

Answer 10

You are there? What part of the middle east are you in?
You said what are we doing there-so i take it you are over there fighting arent you?
If not-dont worry about it. Just go to work at your cushy 9-5 job tomorrow and sit on your butt without making any sacrifices for your country or the world.