Monday, February 25, 2008

Fed Up - Continued

Sorry about the break off in mid-thought. The Middle East is tribal and runs along the lines of a feudal society, so things aren't going to work quite like they do here. They need someone incredibly strong and magnetic to be their leader. The last leader that was able to get the Sunni's and the Sh'ia to work together was Saladin during the Crusades in 1187. So, what are the chances of such a leader showing up now.

I'm just fed up, because I don't know what to think. I think that we need to take a look at what the Soviets did wrong in Afghanistan and make sure we don't make the same mistakes. I think that since we did invade Iraq, for whatever reasons that when we pull out, the area will remain stablized. It's such a delicate balance between the status quo and chaos. Americans need to understand you can't think of Iraq without thinking of Iran or Syria.

The State Department has a long road to travel. Unfortunately, so do our Soldiers and Marines.

Apologies for the post being so disjointed. Just trying to clear my head after reading the morning posts.

Getting Fed Up

Okay, so I read some military blogs so I can try to stay informed on the Afghan and Iraqi front from those actually there as I've lost all faith in the mass media. But even reading these blogs, I get confused and I weeble-wobble. Are we making progress, it depends on which blogs you read. I think that the majority of the soldiers in Iraq think that we are making progress. I hope I'm right in this assumption, because the price paid so far has been too dear to pay. Afghanistan is, of course, the forgotten war. This I think is ironic, considering, this, to me, was the more justified invasion. I don't think anyone will ever convince me that Bush was justified invading Iraq. But the majority of Americans were behind him at the time of sending troops to Iraq. So the choice was made. Now that the soldiers are there and it's taking longer than anyone thought, the tide has turned and now the majority of Americans are against the war. Make up your mind people. The thought that anything in the Middle East would happen quickly is just idiotic. For better or worse, their society doesn't work that way. Look how long the Soviets were in Afghanistan, and look how that worked out. Americans assume that every other culture is like American culture and will assimulate accordingly. Come on people. Educate yourself on life outside these borders. Maybe it will help you make more informed decisions in the future before sending our troops into war. I'm breaking off mid-thought as I've got to go.