Why is it ok when the US sponsored terrorists like Bin Laden for personal gain but not other countries?

Question

Where do we draw the line?

mahal I thought it was common knowledge, you should learn some American history.

http://usinfo.state.gov/media/Archive/2005/Jan/24-318760.html

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Afghanistan/Afghanistan_CIA_Taliban.html

http://www.plp.org/misc/oblncia.html

Answer 1

Nations sometimes have to choose between the best of two evils. It's taking a risk, but sometimes there is no alternative.
Sometimes it backfires in your face. You can only hope for the best and face the consequences when they occur.
Sad, but a reality.

EDIT: Kudo, Ernest...couldn't have said it better.

Answer 2

It's not okay either way. But the reality of war in the 21st century is that aggression has to be carried out at low levels by proxies. Nuclear armed nation aren't going to destroy themselves over what is mostly local affairs where supposed national interests are at stake. What Iran can't do by conventional invasion it can do by funding or supplying third parties. How much better it would have been to arm certain groups in Iraq and allowing them to get rid of Saddam rather than spending billions of borrowed dollars and risking US lives to do the same thing, and ironiclly failing to create a situation in our favor anyway. Or, better yet, getting totally out of the middle east and stop importing oil from there. Instead we could have a real energy policy instead of this late 19th century 'oil only' policy. Ah, well...follow the money!

Answer 3

I extend the Kudos TO Edge.
Perhaps why we let Bin Laden get away has it's roots so deeply planted... as in Carter and his protege Bill . But where the Saudi money went...hmm I wonder?

Some people have posted American's support Israel police to kill innocents. I saw a graphic one last week. WE just have this aura that is manipulated one nation to the next. We have had our share of politicians that have monopolized, profitized and expanded on the weaknesses of the people. Rarely do we hear of separate groups but bundled into one many seem all evil.

Evidently the lines are being drawn in the sand. Extremists love to propagandize these issues as do politicians during
an election season.

Great links. And John Mc Cain. Yes, he has an incredible spine. Kept him alive what 5 yrs as a POW. xo Kim

edit: I believe the perception is one and the same. We sold weapons to Taiwan under Bush, we sold our souls to China under Clinton.... deals are made world wide and it purely sucks Politics as usual in my book.

Answer 4

Because, much like Cuba's Castro, at the time, he was a "Freedom Fighter", then changed after they defeated the enemy that America despised ( Batista, Soviet Union, etc. ). Not that the USA has any more ( or less ) right to interfere, just that sometimes we got snookered when trusting others principles after the immediate goal was achieved.
USA government should probably spend more time studying the bad decisions to "trust" others than risk going along for a short-term gain.

- The Gremlin Guy -

Answer 5

To think the way you do is to also choose to ignore circumstances and involves re-writing of history .

I'll choose one common example , but the same can be applied across the board .

*Panama and Gen. Noriega * - Noriega was trained by us . Supported by us as well . but when ?
Was it AFTER he held a coup and killed then leader Gen. Omar Torrijos ? Or was it BEFORE ? .. . Of course it was BEFORE . BEFORE he changed . BEFORE he went bad . BEFORE he decided to run drugs through Panama . I was there the day he took over . And I was there for two straight years thereafter . I witnessed what happened . I also witnessed U.S. attempts to bring him back to the fold . He chose not to .
So this type of argument or assertion is always baseless . People change . It's not our fault that they do . And it's not our fault for what they do AFTER . We are not God . Nobody knows who'll go bad BEFORE they do .
And I'm not ignoring some of our other ventures where we will side with some rather unscrupulous entities . But in those cases there are no good choices , and sometimes one must make rather unsavory alliances.. . . . or would you rather we physically and personally get involved in every world conflict ?
Cause that's the choice we face more often than most want to acknowledge .
Bottom line - There are bad people . There are good people . Some good people go bad . Not our fault . And we can't make bad people become good people .

P. S. -- Block removed . Now let's keep it civil . Thank you

Answer 6

History repeats itself as the saying goes and if you look at that history it will tell the truth, unfortunately people don't have enough sense to figure that out. Wonder y? Take care.

Answer 7

It is not OK but when you are the world's strongest country and only superpower who is going to force you to change? The US draws the lines and begs other nation's to cross them so that they can act and say it is just. The US isn't even very good at disguising this. It seems as if the US government is not even bothered that a lot of people around the world can see their corrupt asses for what they are. They have become to drunk on power to care. Their sense of invincibility will be their downfall. The rest of the world will not have one nation rule over it for very long especially when this nation is not decent.

Answer 8

history and politics can make strange bedfellows. we have made choices in the past that have turned to bite us in the you know what. this is not uncommon. as situation change and people change and reveal their true motives we realize that in hind sight some bad calls are made but you must go with the info you have at the time. just like us in our real life, we learn later than another decision would have been better but too late to correct it.

you need to read some more history yourself.

Answer 9

I don't know the answer to this, but I would think in the context of the cold war we did what we thought was right allying with bin laden and saddam.

Answer 10

History proves that there are times when you have to sleep with unsavory types. But, you don't really care about what anyone actually states, do you?