The Middle East has been a hotbed of warfare since the beginning of recorded history - and as much time has been spent fighting the West as has been spent fighting among themselves.A relief in Naqsh-i-Rustam shows the Persian King Shapur I gloating after humiliating three Western Emperors (Gordian III, Philip the Arab and Valerian).
If history repeats itself - Which of these is representative of Barack Obama and the American military?
Can we win the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan (and probably Pakistan)?Probably not.
Didn't the Parthian armies rout the West by utilizing gorilla warfare and their understanding of the local terrain?
Didn't the Sasanian armies take advantage of their relationships with China to fend off the West?
Apparently Dubya made the age old mistake of overestimating the value of strength.
I'm all for cheap gas but...
What are we even trying to accomplish in the Middle East?
Is it even worth the cost?
full spectrum dominance brah...., skip the vision documents and just go straight to Engdahl's interpretation of what it means and why that part of the world remains pivotal.
ReplyDeleteGiven that it is only two decades ago that the Russian attempt to take over Afghanistan lead to it's demise I really do fail to understand why the western alliance has not taken notice of this lesson. Afghanistan has never successfully been invaded and the western governments must be composed of fools to be trying again.
ReplyDeleteWe were fighting a Oil War that Bush said might be a Holy War and now it's just straight up War with no theme and the Gov't is searching for a name so you can stop asking WHY!
ReplyDelete@ SeeNew - We're just trying to retain our "empire" and it's resources.
ReplyDelete@ doll - It has never been subjugated for an extended period of time.
There are too many cultures who claim it as their own, it's location too strategic, and the resources too necessary.
@ FreeMan - We were doing 'aight until Bush tried to get a two-fer and invaded Iraq.
I just hope Obama understands that he cannot win a war there without coming close to bankrupting the country.
@ KST - Is it worth it?
It isn't worth it and I (along with many others) had the sinking feeling that it wouldn't be worth it 8 years ago, before we even decided to invade Afghanistan (though admittedly I objected to that plan of action for different reasons).
ReplyDeleteAnd people thought that Iraq would be this generation's Vietnam (when in reality it seems like it's turning out to be our Korea).