Is the USA Republican led government of 2001-2009 to blame for the destabilization of Iraq, consequences of which perhaps spawned ISIS?
Interesting idea. If you had stopped with just asking that question, it could have led to an interesting debate.
'Tis a pity, we'll never see that conversation.
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A little because I'm pissed off at the Bush and Obama Administrations incompetence re Iraq, and a little because I feel like venting this AM...
I think we screwed the pooch royally in Iraq. We went in without having a firm idea of what to do when we won and with no exit strategy.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Being the world's bully ain't that bad, it beats the hell out of being the countries being destroyed. Being a stupid incompetent bully though? Frikkin' disastrous.
Dear USA
If we are gonna do criminal things, please be competent criminals.
kthnxbye, random.US.citizen
Once we were in Iraq, take over the whole country. Herd everyone out. Set up interdiction around the oil wells, pump them dry immediately. Bribe countries we give a damn about with the oil money. Leave. No money, no terrorists, no army, no problems. Everyone in the world goes, 'Hmmm, best not mess with USA'. Hire all the broke starving Iraqis as the armies to take on the next idiots, (NKorea, looking at you!) stupid enough to futz with us.
That's how the mafia does stuff. Who messes with the mafia?
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Of course the alternative, the US not do stupidly criminal things, should be mentioned. Not because that will happen, the US has a long proud history of doing stupid criminal things.
But gosh, it could happen?
Don't be silly. About a week after we quit being the assholes of the world some other bunch of assholes will decide they want to run the world. Think about some of the groups in history that tried to rule the world.
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Which leads to a fun question, if you could choose what group, present or past to rule the world, who would you choose? I'd go either Roman Republic circa 150 BC or British Empire circa 1880.