Influence. We have a NATO ally in Turkey right next door to the north and a bilateral ally in Israel on the south side. We have the unstable client state of Iraq to the west. We have a vested interest in any budding Syrian democracy. Hezbollah is an implacable radical enemy of Israel and the US and we want to weaken them, not strengthen them.The Syrian revolution needs to happen from the inside by Syrians. They don't want foreign military involved, they want international support and they are getting it. Eventually the people will win and we want to be on the right side of things so that we have some influence when they sort it all out.
Ok, sounds worthwhile. But there are too many people (I hate using these terms) on the left (socialists and the occupty movement among them) who are opposed to spending any amount of money on war. How do you justify this to that group?
There are not that many such people and they need not be placated. Who cares about extremists? Radicals on the right want to invade and occupy Iran as if they never learned one damned thing after the Iraq debacle. Nobody listens to the extremists except the other extremists. Offering money and supplies to a budding revolution is not making war! It's picking a side in a civil war that we have an interest in and supporting them. It's a cheap, sensible war to win friends and influence people.
I agree with you. But, take that argument to the Occupy movment (the Obama supporters, anti-GOP), and see what kind of an answer you get.
First of all... do you really believe that aid we send will not include under-the-table military aid? If you do, I have a bridge you can buy... Secondly, it is a war and we are getting involved and sending our money into the destructive hole of **** that is the Middle East.
Yes... France was making a selfless gesture there... It wasn't because they were already at war with Great Britain. :rolleye33:
I support Obama and so do a lot of pragmatists. What make you think a couple of extremist groups matter at all? "Occupy" is about financial matters, not Iran. Anti-GOP is exactly what I'm espousing here. The GOP wants to start yet another war based on fears of imaginary nuclear weapons. They have failed to learn that there are other ways a Superpower can get its way without going to war. Better ways. Smarter ways.
SUre, whats wrong with that. It's not like sending in US troops to try to occupy the place and hand it over to a grateful public. We should have learned in Iraq that you cannot impose democracy on people. They have to take it themselves. We can help. If we don't ,them someone else will and they will end up with the influence instead of us. It's not a war right now, it is a genocide. The people deserve a chance to defend themselves. Aided them is a far thing from invading and occupying them, which has always been a stupid solution to nothing.
It is amazing how you can make so much sense on some issues (like this one) and so little sense on others. IMHO, you let your feelings interfere with your logic in those cases.
