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Old 02-14-2019, 10:03 PM
 
Location: central Florida
1,146 posts, read 641,016 times
Reputation: 307

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The United States is presently engaged in an inconsistent foreign policy.

If anyone has an educated opinion or perspective on this, please do not hesitate to comment. It should be noted, however, that world leaders know and understand this conundrum and are struggling with how to deal with it. Vladimir Putin, for instance, has been quoted as saying, "we know this and are working with it."

Here's a bit of background;

World War III began on August 2, 1990
when Saddam Hussein ordered the armed forces of Iraq to invade Kuwait.

There were mitigating factors that goaded him into this act of war, not least of which was a meeting he had with April Glaspie, United States ambassador to Iraq at the time. On July 25th ambassador Glaspie gave Hussein assurances that the United States would do nothing to oppose Iraqi's pursuit of their interests against Kuwait. Famous last words. It was a clever ruse because immediately following the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait then president George H.W. Bush began preparations for war against Iraq. The rest, as they say, is history except that the history books aren't closed on this sad affair.

Beginning on April 2, 1990 the United States became the greatest sponsor of terrorism on earth. In the years that followed, America sponsored or encouraged by means of manipulation a war of terror on every continent of the planet. Following 911, President George W. Bush put the American policy into public words when he said that America would pursue terrorists to the ends of the earth. This is, by definition, a world war. Certainly it isn't the Armageddon envisaged by Hollywood and numerous books written since the 1950's, but it is global war nonetheless. World War number three.

So here is the inconsistency of American policy - known and accepted by world leaders.

On one hand, America has overtly or covertly recruited, trained, maintained and in some cases directly operated terror organizations such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL or ISIS as it is known in the American media). The infamous Osama bin Laden was an agent of the CIA. Hillary Clinton admitted this several years ago and John McCain called the soldiers of Al Qaeda "heroes".

On the other hand, American leaders have made known loud and long their opposition to terrorist groups and have actively promoted armed attacks against them. To this end we have pursued them by means of war and political manipulation to every continent of the planet - making it a global conflict.

This political/military schizophrenia is a recognized inconsistency in American foreign policy that has many world leaders scrambling to understand what form an appropriate response might take. To date there is none.

One has to arrive at a satisfactory answer as to WHY, before a solution can be contrived.

What say you dear reader? Do you have a theory as to why the United States is both a sponsor and an opponent of international terror? If you do, then you do well because most leaders of foreign nations do not know. Let's hear ideas anyway.....and a few as to how to end it.

that's me, hollering from the choir loft.....

Last edited by Choir Loft; 02-14-2019 at 10:13 PM..
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Old 02-14-2019, 10:58 PM
 
Location: Haiku
7,132 posts, read 4,734,281 times
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The definition of terrorism is "inflicting harm, or threat of harm, on non-combatants for a political purpose".

Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the single biggest acts of terrorism ever. The fire-bombing of Dresden and Tokyo were the next biggest.

So, terrorism by the US preceded 1990 by a long shot.

But to answer your question as to why the US is schizophrenic in its approach to war, terrorism and foreign policy - I have one word: realpolitik.

It is unfortunate but this is how the world works. If there were nothing but nice guys out there we wouldn't have this problem. Rules are made up as we go about the business of killing each other and realpolitik is pretty much the rule of this era.
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Old 02-14-2019, 11:10 PM
 
34,300 posts, read 15,537,572 times
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Most people don't get classified briefings and as a result don't have situational awareness to decide the best foreign policy. Its nothing more than armchair quarterbacking. That's why we elect people to do the job.
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