A Radical Solution to Radical Islam Extremism, Let's Leave

[JEB]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Radical-Solution-to-Radi-by-Keith-Kurlander-Al-Qaeda_Caliphate_Democracy_Ideology-151213-418.html

A thoughtful read of the one page article with links is well worth the time.

By Keith Kurlander

It started with 9/11. Or did it ? If you have a few minutes and love detailed minutiae read "Ancient History": U.S. Conduct in the Middle East Since World War II and the Folly of Intervention by Sheldon L. Richman, which details foreign involvement in the middle east back to the fall of the Ottoman Empire. This "Ancient History" has total relevance to our, American, current situation, however I'm going to start at 9/11.

Paul O'Neill, former CEO of Alcoa Aluminum and Secretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush stated in his book, "The Price of Loyalty" that the war in Iraq was planned from the first National Security Council meeting, soon after the administration took office. This meeting took place January 30, 2001, eight months before the 9/11 attack. O'Neill observed that the debate was not "should we attack Iraq?" but rather "how do we go about attacking Iraq?" They talked about how the oil in Iraq was a global commodity and that it needed to be secured to stabilize the oil market globally.

<snip>

At this point what are we even fighting for? We drill enough of our own oil to export it now and we are rapidly moving towards utilizing sustainable energy sources which makes oil obsolete. As long as we're in the middle east, we will continue to inflame Jihadists around the world and create a magnet for an endless conflict and a breeding ground for attacks in western countries.

The idea that we are surprised by getting "terrorist attacks" in America after the unfounded invasion and continued occupation of a sovereign foreign country including as of June of this year over 3,800 airstrikes dropping or firing no less than 15,000 bombs, killing roughly 15,000 ISIS supporters, just goes to show how ignorant and entitled we as Americans are. I propose a novel idea, let the people who live there keep the oil and sand, we leave. It was never ours.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I remember when Vietnam was called a quagmire. Have we learned nothing?


http://www.opednews.com/articles/A-Radical-Solution-to-Radi-by-Keith-Kurlander-Al-Qaeda_Caliphate_Democracy_Ideology-151213-418.html

[Wellstone ruled]

1. And to think these

same people refuse to take claim to any of the negatives that they created. Some one posted a story about these same individuals planning Cheney's OIL project in 1997 at some so called think tank.

[JEB]

2. Bleeding the empire dry.

Bin Laden's dream achieved via buy-partisan action/inaction.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Just watched the President

doing a Presser. Love to watch body language and facial expressions of those around him during these Pressers. Couple of those Salad Clad so called Military Persons,appeared to be rather tense,even though they had their staff right the remarks. So evident that our so called Pentagon is mired in Vietnam,and this Empire Building is not working out the way they were taught at War College. You stop ISIS by packing up your shit and leaving the Mid East. This whole thing will end when the Gangs in the Region decide they have killed enough innocent people.

[JEB]

5. But no,

those calling the shots seem to believe that pouring more of our nation's treasury and piles of weapons into the boiling pot will calm things down. "MONEY TRUMPS PEACE" indeed.

[Octafish]

4. Price of oil is down, though.

So...Mission Never Accomplished Enough.

FTR from DU 2005: Same people who brought us Vietnam, brought us Iraq War Nonstop.

PS: Absolutely agree with your OP, JEB. What we have learned is that the wealthy have bought Washington to do their bidding and make wars without end for power and profits without cease.

[killbotfactory]

6. We need to subject the middle east to another decade of war

So they can finally learn to value life and be moderate.

[Paladin]

7. No, as a matter of fact, I don't think we've learned a fucking thing.

And as long as we maintain a mercenary military force, as long as we resist the re-imposition of some sort of draft system, we're going to be pissing away thousands of lives and trillions of dollars, to no good purpose.

[GreatGazoo]

8. We do not "drill enough of our own oil to export it"

The US dollar is pegged to oil. That's why we stay in the M.E.

The current ISIS / Syria / Iraq / Iran situation isn't about oil, it's about pipelines for natural gas coming out of Qatar:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/12/08/syria-ultimate-pipelineistan-war/

[Dems to Win]

9. I support this 'radical' idea full stop

Allow the people of the region to create their own future.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. That may solve your problem with Radical Islam Extremism, but not everyone's

They kill Shia Muslims, Yazidis, and Christians in the area. And LGBT people. And make women into sex slaves. That won't stop just because the USA stops its involvement.

And, do you really think that they're the kind of people to give up a grudge against the USA?

[JEB]

11. Why are we so friendly with the Saudis?

The money and the radicalization is often coming from the elites in SA. We cannot spread enlightenment at the point of a gun anymore than we could spread democracy at the point of a gun.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Doesn't that just show that letting the fundamentalists do what they want doesn't work either?

The west says "what Saudi Arabia does isn't our concern", and they're a regressive theocracy with an appalling human rights record. Saying "what Islamic State does isn't our concern" wouldn't fix the problem either.

[JEB]

13. Should we then bomb the holy shit

out of SA?