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Protection of trade routes has been a traditional function of states since Sumerian times. The US itself fought the Barbary pirates in the early 1800's to protect our merchant fleet. That's not going to change anytime soon.
Not if jessica still wants a new Lexus, a flat-screen TV, or Italian shoes.
That's not really what happened, though, is it? Much of the worst violence in Iraq happened after the Persian Gulf War. The Shiites rose up in southern Iraq and were crushed. This happened for the most part between 1992 and 1993. After that, the act was done, and the level of state violence in Iraq fell off substantially.
If the motivation for the Iraq intervention was to "stop the slaughter" of Shiites, the point of intervention would have to have been in 1992. After that, the slaughter was fait accompli.
When the war actually DID get underway, the stated motivation was "weapons of mass destruction," with "human rights" as an afterthought. After all, intervening with "human rights" as the justification wouldn't make much practical sense, since it would imply a duty to intervene in all sorts of other situations (where, of course, we have not intervened).
It's exactly what happened. That is, the bottom line. There are other interveining factors, but the Iraqi people cried out and had it not been for the French sending illegal arms to Iran, it would have been a UN action and not the countries that did respond.
I bet most people think it's more important for the U.S. to be the world's policeman than to bring about universal health care for its own people.
That's also a tough question. While I am not fully convinced we're supposed to be the world's policemen (one would hope the UN does this to a certain degree), the case of universal healthcare is another debate. Whether it's an absolute right as a government to provide it, or a privilage. It's also a states rights question. Here in Oregon we do provide universal healthcare.
I don't think it's so much "our job" to smooth out all the world's problems...(For example, we're seeing right NOW the silliness of 'bringing democracy' to Iraq)..but I DO THINK that we have no choice but to play a 'pro-active' role in keeping some sort of 'order', only because, if we DON'T...someone else WILL.
Despite what some of our liberal thinkers might want to believe, it's not as if the USA is some all-powerful, all-intrusive, 'big bad bully', and the REST of the world is just a series of uniformly 'nice folks' wanting only to 'live, love, and enjoy peace'. Far from it...in fact, as bad as the US is sometimes portrayed, there are FAR worse, FAR less benign 'bullies' out there, who would take over in a MOMENT, if the opportunity arose. It's fun and interesting to speculate what would happen if the "bad" USA were somehow to lose its position in the world...but I suspect MANY of the 'speculators' would have a rude awakening indeed, if this ever, in fact, came to pass.
To SOME extent, we have to stay in SOME kind of "charge", because if we ever stop, we---along with MUCH of the world---may learn, too late, that there are many things WORSE than having the US in charge. And I can guarantee that someone will ALWAYS be in charge, for better or for worse.
There's dictators throughout the world...but the only thing that concerned us was getting rid of Saddam Hussein?
There's dictators throughout the world...but the only thing that concerned us was getting rid of Saddam Hussein?
Easy to say in retrospect. Of course we can't get rid of ALL of them..for no other reason than their replacements may be WORSE. And I know we have a lot of "Monday morning quarterbacks" now, swearing that we "shouldn't" have gone into Iraq.
But I still defend my support of the invasion. I don't know how many folks got their insight, but Saddam went to great lengths to appear to be a 'hair's breadth' away from incinerating the whole region....and he said so repeatedly, and he certainly convinced ME....over several years.
Where I DON'T agree, though, is when Bush began slipping in his remarks about "bringin' democracy to these folks"...that, I KNEW, was absurd. The people of Iraq have no history of democracy, nor apparently, any respect for it, nor any desire for it. What our job SHOULD have been, was to remove a Hitler-like threat to his whole region (Saddam), then step aside and allow Iraq to install its own replacement..or to 'wipe each other out', as they saw fit. Our job isn't to introduce democracy to other countries--it's to keep them from destroying their neighbors (assuming, of course, that we even HAVE a strategy overseas at ALL).
Now, having stayed behind to 'help the folks' learn how to live with each other, we've pretty well succeeded in turning ALL of them against us. NOBODY wants a foreign power occupying their nation...even a 'nice' foreign power.
I'm assuming you're a conservative. Fact is, even some members of your party don't agree with you. Opposing world policing isn't a liberal thing.
I'm conservative in some ways, liberal in others....and all I can say is, we don't have the option to "just everybody leave everybody else alone". That just isn't how human beings operate.
I'd rather see US in charge than--for example, China...or Russia. Partly for selfish reasons (better 'us' than 'them')...but ALSO because I think we are basically well-intentioned people, and our system allows 'good' people to 'adjust' our government, when and if it 'goes wrong'.
There are PLENTY of 'good people' everywwhere. But 'good Russians' or 'good Chinese' have very little chance of influencing their own governments to 'do the right thing'. I like to think that we're in the best position to see to it that, since SOMEONE'S got to be the 'cops', we can make sure we're 'GOOD cops'...at least better than most others wouldf be. (As I said before, "no cops at ALL" just isn't an option).
The quote that 'if we don't then someone else will'. So? let them. We get the so-called peace without paying a heavy price. Is this a ego thing for you?
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You seem to be quoting me....perhaps I wasn't clear. I said "If we don't, someone else will"....and by that, I meant, if we don't 'take charge'. Those who do 'take charge' may not necessarily be the 'world's police'....instead, they may well turn out to be 'the world's Crips---or Bloods---or MS-13'....or even al-Qaeda. In other words, I can GUARANTEE you that despite what you, or I, or anyone would LIKE, that SOMEONE is going to be 'in charge'...but we can NOT assume that their intentions would have to be peaceful..or anything LIKE it.
You seem to be quoting me....perhaps I wasn't clear. I said "If we don't, someone else will"....and by that, I meant, if we don't 'take charge'. Those who do 'take charge' may not necessarily be the 'world's police'....instead, they may well turn out to be 'the world's Crips---or Bloods---or MS-13'....or even al-Qaeda. In other words, I can GUARANTEE you that despite what you, or I, or anyone would LIKE, that SOMEONE is going to be 'in charge'...but we can NOT assume that their intentions would have to be peaceful..or anything LIKE it.
We can still be the strongest guy in the room without actually having to flex our muscles.
Isn't that the UN's job to bring peace, prosperity and happiness to the violatile sh**holes of the world? Let them do it.
We should just be a good, profitable and fair trading partner to all who wish to do business with us.
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