To my chagrin, there seems to be support among the majority of pols, and the citizenry, actually, about the U.S., or should I say the "coalition" bombing strikes against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
As avid readers of my blog may recall, I have listed a plethora of reasons why we should not be involved in that effort, since history shows that U.S. bombing in that part of the world has been ineffectual, except to the extent that it breeds greater hatred of the west (read U.S.) and ends up backfiring on us any way. We have a gift for picking the wrong side to support, which means the wrong people get our high-tech weapons in their hands and use them against us and/or their own people.
Sure, ISIS is horrible and barbaric on a Game of Thrones level, but the problems it represents are complex and impossible for the West to sort out, understand, and remedy--the people of the Mid-East will just have to work through their issues, which will probably take a hundred years or so. Europe went through such convolutions in the Middle Ages.
To me, there are two ways to extricate ourselves from the misery of perpetual bombing in the Mid-East:
I do guarantee, however, if the U.S. does those two things, our footprint will shrink to almost nothing in that horrific part of the world.
As avid readers of my blog may recall, I have listed a plethora of reasons why we should not be involved in that effort, since history shows that U.S. bombing in that part of the world has been ineffectual, except to the extent that it breeds greater hatred of the west (read U.S.) and ends up backfiring on us any way. We have a gift for picking the wrong side to support, which means the wrong people get our high-tech weapons in their hands and use them against us and/or their own people.
Sure, ISIS is horrible and barbaric on a Game of Thrones level, but the problems it represents are complex and impossible for the West to sort out, understand, and remedy--the people of the Mid-East will just have to work through their issues, which will probably take a hundred years or so. Europe went through such convolutions in the Middle Ages.
To me, there are two ways to extricate ourselves from the misery of perpetual bombing in the Mid-East:
- First, let's pay for it! Unlike Iraq and Afghanistan, let's add a federal surtax that all Americans must pay to finance operations in the Mid-East. Hit Americans, especially Republicans, where it hurts: in the pocketbook. We boosted taxes to pay for WWII and WWI--if we really want to eliminate ISIS, let's put our money where our mouth is!
- Re-initiate the draft. The all-volunteer army makes it too easy to just send troops hither and yon when those making such decisions have no skin in the game. When Republican sons and Republican daughters are sent to the deserts of the Middle East to fight the savages, either fairness will be achieved or more sober reflection will be involved before military action is invoked. The draft and its attendant protest movement played a major role in the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.
I do guarantee, however, if the U.S. does those two things, our footprint will shrink to almost nothing in that horrific part of the world.
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