Since, apparently, starving Iraq to a point where its people were so desperate to get rid of one dictator they freely allowed another to invade worked so well, the U.S. seems ready to do the same to Syria. Jorge seems ready to sign a bill imposing economic sanctions on the nation declaring that, if it doesn't change its' policy regarding support of anti-American groups, apparently because no one in the middle east has any reason to hate the United States.
I'm all about los Estados Unidos, don't get me wrong, but it didn't seem to greatly agitate the Junta that Syria pretty much hates our guts back before the war in Iraq. I sincerly doubt that Bush and company are attempting to spark more conflict in the region, especially with the drooling masses finally catching on to the fact that, when this country fights a war in a poor country, soldiers from this country tend to die even when the camera isn't on them, but I'm thinking ten, maybe fifteen years down the line, when this country makes another swing toward Republican supremacy, as it always does when society makes a move toward becoming more rational or humanistic, we're going to see some more magical conflicts arise.
It doesn't take a political scientist to figure out that sanctions against Syria would put another nail in the coffin of U.S. diplomatic credibility in the middle east. Iraq is still in a shambles, and the people there know it, which isn't much of a change from the norm there (thereby proving the anti-war crowd right) but must stike the populace as doubly disappointing. "Our" government's relationships with Saudi Arabia and Turkey are civil at best (bear in mind that most of the hijackers of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on 11.9.01 came from the former), which is pretty alright when compared to our relationship with Iran.
The Bush Administration has done a masterful job of setting up a situation much like the early 80's Reagan administration, having cultivated an environment where there will always be enemies to spend money on weapons to prepare for possible combat with. It will be interesting to see how our grandchildren will deal with the aftermath of this fucking debacle of a presidency, to say nothing of how we'll deal.
Granted, I'm just speculating, and I'm not a political scientist.
I'm all about los Estados Unidos, don't get me wrong, but it didn't seem to greatly agitate the Junta that Syria pretty much hates our guts back before the war in Iraq. I sincerly doubt that Bush and company are attempting to spark more conflict in the region, especially with the drooling masses finally catching on to the fact that, when this country fights a war in a poor country, soldiers from this country tend to die even when the camera isn't on them, but I'm thinking ten, maybe fifteen years down the line, when this country makes another swing toward Republican supremacy, as it always does when society makes a move toward becoming more rational or humanistic, we're going to see some more magical conflicts arise.
It doesn't take a political scientist to figure out that sanctions against Syria would put another nail in the coffin of U.S. diplomatic credibility in the middle east. Iraq is still in a shambles, and the people there know it, which isn't much of a change from the norm there (thereby proving the anti-war crowd right) but must stike the populace as doubly disappointing. "Our" government's relationships with Saudi Arabia and Turkey are civil at best (bear in mind that most of the hijackers of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on 11.9.01 came from the former), which is pretty alright when compared to our relationship with Iran.
The Bush Administration has done a masterful job of setting up a situation much like the early 80's Reagan administration, having cultivated an environment where there will always be enemies to spend money on weapons to prepare for possible combat with. It will be interesting to see how our grandchildren will deal with the aftermath of this fucking debacle of a presidency, to say nothing of how we'll deal.
Granted, I'm just speculating, and I'm not a political scientist.