Quote:Well given that you support the Afghanistan intervention, do you really believe that the terrorist fervor agains us would be significantly less had we intervened in Afghanistan and not done so in Iraq? That seems to me to be quite implausible. The inflammatory contribution of our intervention in Afghanistan likely saturated whatever potential there was in that area.
George
It is absolutely certain that the Iraq project is what cost America the friendly regard of the west, and which set alarms ringing in so many citizens that we began to think of the US as perhaps the greatest danger to world peace. The change in opinions and sympathies that followed 9-11 and that which exist broadly now are attributable here.
The Muslim world is diverse and varied, not a unity. There's every reason to assume that opinion within those cultures would mirror opinion in Canada, or Britain, or Denmark. But because of pre-existing negative sentiment held within the Muslim world towards the US, and because Iraq was a second Muslim country to be attacked, with perhaps Syria and others to follow (and because of Bush's 'crusade' speech, along with other high level American Christian statements about this being, in effect, a holy war) it seems blind to assume the Muslim world would not be even more anxious and angry at US policy than were Canadians. Add on Al Jazeera and other broadcasters actually showing footage of blasted to bits Arab children (NOT consumable by the American networks, but real) and you have a receipe for recruitment - worldwide - which would not have come about had the US not proceded in Iraq as they did.
I don't at all buy your contention of 'saturation' after Afghanistan. Particularly if the US hadn't almost abandoned the bloody place! What if they had taken all this activity and money spent on Iraq and put it into really building Afghanistan? Into really improving the lives of the citizens there, at the seat of al Quaeda? The whole picture would be entirely different...friends where there are now enemies, eager intelligence sources rather than reluctant belligerants who want to throw off occupation.
You continue to excuse US actions on the argument that other nations are guilty too. It is as lousy an argument here as in a school yard. At least you should be consistent, and drop any claims of special American morality. But I actually don't think you should. I think you should demand very much more of your government and your nation.
Quote:You suggest the policy of the Bush administration is making matters worse. Worse than what? Worse than they might have been had we done nothing?
Answered above.
I've never noticed any "positives voiced" except in sarcasm :wink:
