U.S. policy is fucking brilliant, but I may see this differently than many. What if the purpose of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wasn't to build stable democracies, but to destabilize the region? Think about it:
- The entire region is fighting itself, no large state actors are capable of threatening the West as they have in the past.
- Simultaneously, we've decreased the price of oil and have become nearly energy-independent from the Middle East, which means we no longer have to kiss the Saudi's asses and others in the region who provide the manpower, ideological training, and funding for Islamic terrorism. We've weaned ourself from the Middle East's oil.
- Iraq and Afghanistan are under Iranian and Pakistani influence and power now (respectively), and we knew this would be the case from the beginning. A greater sphere for the Shiites means greater friction with the Sunnis.
- Israel is no longer threatened by legions of tanks from Syria, Jordan, Egypt, or Lebanon, as ISIS is an existential threat to the Muslim countries more so than it is Israel.
I really think we've known from the beginning that it's impossible to stop a handful of brainwashed extremists from attacking the US. So instead, we've created an even larger magnet in the Middle East and an even more threatening enemy for Muslims - themselves.
- The entire region is fighting itself, no large state actors are capable of threatening the West as they have in the past.
- Simultaneously, we've decreased the price of oil and have become nearly energy-independent from the Middle East, which means we no longer have to kiss the Saudi's asses and others in the region who provide the manpower, ideological training, and funding for Islamic terrorism. We've weaned ourself from the Middle East's oil.
- Iraq and Afghanistan are under Iranian and Pakistani influence and power now (respectively), and we knew this would be the case from the beginning. A greater sphere for the Shiites means greater friction with the Sunnis.
- Israel is no longer threatened by legions of tanks from Syria, Jordan, Egypt, or Lebanon, as ISIS is an existential threat to the Muslim countries more so than it is Israel.
I really think we've known from the beginning that it's impossible to stop a handful of brainwashed extremists from attacking the US. So instead, we've created an even larger magnet in the Middle East and an even more threatening enemy for Muslims - themselves.