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Neoconservative time warp? Are you suggesting neoconservative views and positions have vanished?
No the views and positions have not, but the style of the days when we freely assassinated our allies (Diem) or fostered military dictatorships(Allende) has certainly become more circumspect even under the Bush administration (as hard as that may be to believe).
But look at Iraq following the failure to install Chalabi, back in the day there would have been no way for Iranian back pols like Malaki to have come to power under our auspices while our chosen one sat on the sidelines.
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Are you suggesting that 100 years of US interventionist foreign policy has suddenly disappeared since I went to bed last night?
No. But here is the thing, the ABILITY of the CIA to operate as it used to isn't there any longer particularly in the middle east. To paraphrase Rumsfeld, you intervene with the spies you have not the spies you want to have.
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As you say, its early and there is a lot going on. In fact it is more than a lot it is huge what is taking place and whether we like to admit it or not, the United States is at the limits of its ability to project power abroad.
See above.
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The hands off approach of the Jasmine revolution is hands off because our "assets" have reached in country yet, the plane is still in the air, but don't kid yourself, you are not so naive as to think the US isn't doing everything in its power to affect an outcome favorable to its own self interest.
There are number of ways to exert influence outcomes, one is not to rush and pick ideological sides, as we have in the past, the other is be flexible enough to attempt to work with the winning party whoever they maybe.
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The Obama administration denounced the events in Tunisia until it was shown that the coup was successful, to which it then reversed its position and embraced it.
Thank you.
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I don't believe for one moment that the US has suddenly reversed its position on democracies in the Middle East, I do however believe that we are going to publicly embrace them since there isn't a damn thing we can do about it at the moment.
We are saying the same thing, perhaps I am saying it badly, need sleep.
The United States supported that tyrant, Saddam and even helped him come to power in the first place. He was secular, he was friendly to our interests and he had no qualms about using US provided materials, intelligence and support to gas his own people or the Iranians because he knew he could count on the good ole United States to save his fat from the fire. That is until the ascension of Neoconservatism and his ego trip that led him into Kuwait, which was another best buddy of the United States and much closer to the House of Saud.
The enemy of my enemy. The preference would have been not to get involved at all, but at the time, the lesser of two evils was Iraq.
If Israel desires to use nukes, then so be it, let them deal with the fallout (no pun intended) of doing such a thing. Its their country, their self interest, their business.
As far as Obama is concerned, what more could folks on the right want, you have a leftist pro-war President that crushed the anti-war movement and has escalated US military presence in the Middle East by double of what Bush did. If Caligula runs, I'll be sure to put you on the mailing list.
He did not such thing. The anti-war movement zipped it up as soon as he was elected, which we knew they would do. It was politically correct to protest a republican president, not such much one of their own. Goes for the media too, like the NYT, which used to have daily body counts and blood and gore on the front page, above the fold.
Oh my. The US is not the only nation that has an interest in seeing the world's energy reserves kept safe and accessible. Seeing as how they asked us to help protect them from the tyrants in the region (saddam), you can hardly blame the US and other nations for protecting a vital resource the whole world depends on.
War it is then - and don't think Israel wouldn't use those nuclear weapons they have if their existence is threatened.
If any of these countries (under new radical leadership) decided they want to push Israel into the sea, the only deterrent would be the realization they would be fighting the US as well. Of course with obama, one can't be too sure he wouldn't just sit back and enjoy the show. I would fully expect him to waffle and weave.
Part of the reason for hostility towards the United States is not our interest in seeing the world's energy reserves kept safe and accessible, it's how we acted on that interest. While I believe England was the major player in determining how the Middle East was politically designed in the early 20th century, the United States sat at that table, and then, post World-War II, played a more integral role. Our actions in the Middle East have not been true to the ideals we say we stand for. And our support for several oppressive regimes have created a situation where we are not trusted.
I always maintained that the U.S. really needs to stop its overseas empire by stopping foreign aid and closing all foreign military bases and withdraw from the UN
Geez...we agree again (except the UN part). You're starting to scare me.
He did not such thing. The anti-war movement zipped it up as soon as he was elected, which we knew they would do. It was politically correct to protest a republican president, not such much one of their own. Goes for the media too, like the NYT, which used to have daily body counts and blood and gore on the front page, above the fold.
That's not true. The anti-war movement is alive and well, as TN Hilltopper exemplifies. There was a lull when Obama was first elected, because people waited to see what he would do. But the anti-war protests have continued, and if they don't receive as much media coverage, that may be because the economic problems have dominated the media, and the interests of average Americans. There's only so much room on the front page of newspapers, there's only so many minutes in a nightly newscast. Both are in competition for viewers, and they'll play the stories that viewers are most interested in. Because number of viewers equals the advertising rates they can charge advertisers. That's the reality.
America's worst nightmare, the rise of Middle East democracies.
If Middle East governments were to transform into semblances of those governing Norway, Canada, Switzerland or New Zealand, somehow I don't think "nightmare" would the proper term.
America's worst nightmare, the rise of Middle East democracies.
If Middle East governments were to transform into semblances of those governing Norway, Canada, Switzerland or New Zealand, somehow I don't think "nightmare" would the proper term.
Unfortunately, chaos rarely results in order. Iran is a good example. An ally, and a relatively progressive nation, turned to puppet governance to the frustration of the people and the extreme theocratic nuts took advantage. Afghanistan was too, until the Soviets messed it up and then we provided the finishing touches with Al Qaeda. Pakistan became our "ally" against the Soviets in the 1950s and shortly after its independence. That adoption of an infant democracy, and to protect "interests" we interfered with the democracy and weakened it, making it more or less a military state. Now, democratically elected government is as weak as it comes in Pakistan, and the military rarely co-operates with it. A failed system that is bound to bite us in the rear for a while.
I expect pretty much the same in these countries as well. Chaos is anti-logic and pro-emotion.
The Egyptian people are calling for democracy,it is a wonderful thing to witness.
Egyptian ruling party HQ burning right now.
It has a good chance of remaining a republic, but I wouldn't hold my breath for a democratic republic.
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