The US Middle East vision: war on dictators?Follow

That and two or three billion dollars in aid will getcha feeling quite sassy :D

Wasn't really about you. But yeah, schooled




The video is really stark. Obama looks like he wants to be anywhere but in that room at that moment.

So how long before we end up going to war with Israel? And will we still be funding their military at the time?

Don't forget the weapons we sold Iran.

I'd really be more concerned about Saudi Arabia. At least Pakistan's only (provable) recent slight was trying to close down universities to keep the government in power, and Iran is not all that bad at the moment.

Err, what? Is that the only article you've read about the ME's current state? And you're taking even it out of context? You've made a fatuous, uninformed statement.

Edited, May 22nd 2011 10:48am by LeWoVoc

Possible? Yes. Plausible? Probably not. The West is being demonized far less in these movements than you seem to think. We're still the "Great Satan" in many cases, but you're placing the emphasis on the wrong point. The movements in the ME are overtaking the US's allies AND enemies. It's not about us. It's not about our business partners. It's about the fight against dictatorship and the battle for freedom and relief from poverty and opression. Of course there's violence that will erupt over all of this... but it's a bit of a leap to say that it's going to compare to the situation in the 1970's, don't you think? You can't have any movement that tries to remove power from such institutions found in the ME without violence along the way.

My criticism of your choice of article was not based on you not linking every article ever made about the ME protests, it was the fact that you apparently thought that quoting, out of context, an article about Saleh's refusal to sign the GCC's agreement somehow supported your ignorant blanket statement.

While I agree that each nations plight is unique I would still expect that quite a few of the governments in power are more secular than those opposing it..but I haven't really checked them each out so I may be wrong about that. However, it seems to me a kneejerk reaction of most westerners to automatically side with the underdog just because they listened to too much Bob Marley in college and never stop to think about who it is that is going to get into power. It's not going to be the people with the most democratic policies.. it's going to be the ones with the most fire power and people willing to die.

I don't think it's about that primarily. None of the governments that are in place or that the people want in place will be "secular", but I don't see why it's wrong to oppose, say, a Sunni government in a mostly Shiite country. Neither will be secular, but at least the religious beliefs of the majority of the people will be respected more.

In defense of Israel and Great Britain, the British made a perfectly valid and sensible proposal, and the Jews accepted it and the Arabs started a civil war which they subsequently lost. This is why Israel has a right to exist.

The primary problem with the Israel/Palestine situation in its current form, is that the Israelis aren't taking the idea of a peaceful solution seriously, are quite openly participating in ethnic cleansing of areas, and generally, treat Palestinian people quite terribly.

Oh, what a ****-up of the whole situation we make when we divy up an empire willy nilly.

That's not how I remember World War I ending...