General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsShould we be thanking Putin for keeping us out of Iran?
This is getting weird.
watoos
(7,142 posts)The US wanted Assad out of Syria because he wouldn't allow a Qatari gas pipeline to cross his borders. Assad did allow an Iran/Iraq gas pipeline to cross his borders. I'm pretty sure that Iran can also run oil through a similar pipeline across Syria to Europe. War with Iran will disrupt all of that. I would bet that one of our main targets if we went to war with Iran would be pipelines. Putin is allied with Iran and Syria, he calls the shots, Trump does what his master orders.
DFW
(54,378 posts)The generals will certainly have told Congress and Pompeo (not Bolton, as that would be useless) that we would have ten thousand body bags to send home by the time the election year begins, and that frankly they would rather resign than face their subordinates after having issued (and followed) orders they knew from the beginning were foolish and disastrous. Iran is well armed, has difficult topography and WILL shoot back. Iran also has a thriving domestic dissident movement that hates the Ayatollahs. About the only thing that would move them to make common cause with their hated religious conservative leaders would an attack from outside. Like from the USA, for example.
The calendar shows the clock ticking on 2020. How many killed and disabled vets does Trump want to contend with during his re-election campaign? Making America Grieve Again?
The Republican Party consists of a bunch of cowards. They only attack countries they THINK will not shoot back. Reagan invaded the Caribbean Island of Grenada. Bush I may have saved Kuwait, but wisely stopped short of invading Iraq. He DID invade Panama. How daring. Bush Jr. did invade Iraq, but that was because of faulty information. Rummy said before the cameras: "Maybe Six days, maybe six weeks, certainly not six months." Cheney backed him up (probably knowing better, but salivating at the financial upside for himself) and Bush actually believed him. oops.
stonecutter357
(12,697 posts)anarch
(6,535 posts)when it comes to making decisions that are less likely to lead to global conflict and mega-death casualty numbers.
Not to say I "trust" Putin...but I see what you mean, for sure.
happyaccident
(136 posts)I'm trying to spend more time learning about the rest of the world. It seems as if america's lack of federal leadership is encouraging more state and even cities to join up with international groups and countries to do what our current "leadership" refuses to do, from climate change to sanctuary cities. I believe in grassroots organizing (I'm an old anarchist) so seeing people around get more interested in alternative ways of more sustainable living is very cool. My lifelong dislike for cars(drove for 2 months, never owned a car) is actually respected now, unlike my hometown of L.A. where even my friends thought I was a fool.