In the last 60 years, how many US military actions have turned out well?

[XemaSab]

Besides Bosnia and Kosovo?

[msongs]

1. for MIC profit$ they have all turned out well

[Douglas Carpenter]

2. If a person reflexively opposed all military interventions -they would be right 80% of the time and

wrong 20% of the time. If a person reflexively supported all military intervention - they would be wrong 80% of the time and right 20% of the time.

Of course one does not have to be reflexive in supporting or opposing military actions. They should look at each case very carefully, thoughtfully and individually. But if one was to be reflexive - it is clear that it is a safer bet to reflex against war than for it.

[JI7]

3. does capturing Osama count ?

[denbot]

4. Korea, and Bosnia.

Our involvement with NATO (hell at first we were NATO), we as a nation have acted in the common good.

[B Calm]

13. We still have a divided Korea!

[GreenStormCloud]

21. But that is better than all of Korea being united under the Kims. N/T

[B Calm]

22. At what cost to us tax payers?

[Major Nikon]

5. If you count all the humanitarian missions such as the one in Haiti there would be quite a few

You also have the massive tsunami and the Kashmir earthquake disaster relief. All of that is just in the last 10 years.

[cali]

6. Disaster relief missions are NOT military strikes. Period. Not close. Not related.

[Major Nikon]

7. If that was what the OP asked, you might have something

Just sayin'

[Violet_Crumble]

8. If the US had intervened in Rwanda to try to stop the genocide, maybe that one...

But they didn't, so I can't think of any off the top of my head...

[Fearless]

9. We're a warlike people...

[David__77]

10. Zero.

WW2 was the last one, and it involved a titanic struggle for human progress, for national sovereignty, against imperialism and racism. Since then, there has been nothing so lofty at all - not even close. Lots of people killed, lives destroyed.

[raccoon]

19. Agree with your point, but how can you say WWII was against racism considering the way the US

locked up Japanese-Americans, and in general demonized Japanese people?

[NuclearDem]

20. Yeah, the view of WWII as some holy crusade against evil is just revisionism

It was a response to Axis aggression, not genocide.

[Old Union Guy]

11. I disagree about Bosnia and Kosovo

War aims attained != turned out well.

[Downwinder]

12. I am not sure how you qualify US military actions, or

quantify well.

Does shooting up a hospital or a dormitory count?

[Shankapotomus]

14. I thought the

March of the Wooden Soldiers turned out pretty good.

[treestar]

15. What about Grenada?

LOL. But you'd have to define "well" and argue that since it arguably never does any good, it shouldn't ever be tried again, no matter what the consequences. We don't know what would have happened had we stayed out of all the ones you are saying did not turn out well.

[JoePhilly]

16. The effort to take extremly complex issues and boil them down into black and white

is the problem DU is currently suffering from on this topic, and many others.

The calls to do nothing, to my ears, seem to reflect a "dear in headlights" kind of sensibility.

I don't know what the best answer is, but I'm not sure standing still and doing nothing is better than other responses as some seem to be arguing.

And the claims that all military action is the absolute worst path, "because well, you know, its bad" ... ring hollow.

[treestar]

17. I agree, are they thinking of the consequences of never doing anything?

War is terrible, but other countries will start them.

Plus there is the black and white thinking of just thinking about it is the equivalent of doing it.

[JoePhilly]

18. Very good point. nt