It is hard to be right about the Middle East. If you only accept the Bible as merely a sort of history book, conflict began there with Cain and Able. They kind of take breaks from fighting as appose to occasional wars. With, or without, outsiders they seem to find reason to fight. I'm old school and do not like interventions as a rule. Certainly Afghanistan in one place to just leave the **** alone. If the Brits and the Soviets couldn't stay there that is enough for me. Let's get out and give them a shot at the Chinese. China certainly wants all that rare earth elements.
But you need to be careful with Islam. It can be peaceful when at the disadvantage but it has long history of expansion when it has an edge. Massive silver find fueled it earliest moves into Europe. Crusades knock them back a little but then early use of gunpowder bought more. In our day, all that oil give them that urge again but USA is in the way.
Our first foreign war was there to protect American ships from seizure and sailors from slavery. The Brits paid tribute to avoid the "pirates". Once we were free, that tribute no longer protected us. We built navy when after them. If was our first successful projection of power. Now we reign supreme and virtually alone in that the most difficult on military skills. Ironic that Molsems started down a road that left them defenseless against us a couple hundred years later. This stuff is complicated. I haven't agreed with any of our Mideast wars but I am not a pacifist. If you talk about the one I think matter, against Iran, then I would be on board, BUT only a war declared by Congress and fought WWII style where killing the enemy is the objective and not some bs about freeing some people who love us. I ask you. have you seen or hear many Germans or Japanese yelling and screaming about conquering world after we got done with them? I am a Southerner. After Sherman we are happy to just kick a little *** on the football field and **** right I salute that bloody Stars and Strips.
