Rand Simberg has some thoughts on the limits of pacifism.

Richard Fernandez has related dismaying observations  on the perspective of those in the third world and their terrible plight.

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In  the comments to this Scotsman article, (along with unsolicited antisemitic bile) is the stock scream of "why doesn't the US do something" and "If the US wasn't in Iraq they could solve this!"

No words can possibly cut through such a veil of ignorance....certainly not mine as I am neither a particularly good writer nor a person of any stature, but indulge my tilting at this windmill of asshats for a moment...
....or continue to scroll down if you wish.

Iraq under Saddam was just about as repressive as Burma. No really, it was . Its easy to believe otherwise 'cause CNN covered it up. Yet anti-war types today bemoan the loss of this "stabilizing despot".

Dealing with the aftermath of that nations liberation has been far more difficult than believed and it is relatively devoid of jungle and other cover for insurgents. The situation in Burma is at least as complicated  with Moslem's in the south, various anti- government groups and one of the most ethnically diverse plots of land on the planet.

Oh and it's also a client state of China so there is a non-trivial chance that we'd start a world Fricking war....China, India and Us are nuclear powers...so that would be bad.

 If the US marched into this resource rich nation, support for the  "saffron revolution" will almost immediately evaporate. The people who now chastise us for doing nothing (which we aren't, no really ) would denounce us as imperialists.
The far left has no compassion for the downtrodden that is not trumped by their hatred for us.

We would hear talk about how the US was on an imperialist war to secure the resources of a poor country and had stupidly removed an unsavory but stabilizing influence on the many diverse ethnic groups there.

Before the war the same people were horrified at the toll sanctions took on the Iraqi people....after the war they were horrified that something had been done about it. Witness Campaign Against Sanctions In Iraq...which reformed in 2003  as an anti Iraq War Group.

In Iraq we are trying, against considerable odds to bring that country out of hell. We are doing some good there.

If we up and leave Iraq will likely descend into the same chaos that befell Afganistan. Remember that, we helped them push out the Soviets who left a broken defeated country, we left and it got at least as bad  as what we are seeing in Burma.
            


Remember this...remember how peoples blood boiled at this.....until after 9/11 when the US and other nations stepped in to bash heads....and stayed to NOT REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE.

Well my blood still boils at it.

If we leave Iraq...that will almost certainly happen. From a perspective of enlightened self interest It will become Afghanistan but with oil to finance more terror, an extension of Iran, or just a festering hell hole.From a ethical perspective the suffering would make that that has come since 2003 look tame and render all the sacrifices both military and civilian in vain.
Those of you that want us to just leave....will hopefully be ignored.


We cannot be everywhere at once, we cannot solve all the worlds problems.
We are not the worlds policeman and as hard as it if for some of you to understand WE DO NOT WANT TO BE. We will do what we can and if an opening presents itself we may be able to give some people a helping hand up. Which will surely piss you off immensely.

 If you are one of those screaming about us not getting involved in a race war in the Sudan or marching into Burma, be advised that yes, one of the reasons we don't is indeed Iraq and Afganista....

...Because we are doing what you want us to do in those places but we're using our finite resources in Iraq, Afganistan, and on a low key level in parts of Africa.

If you want to help people try to support us in those endeavors...or reassess your premises....because otherwise we can be pretty sure you'll be just as angry with us if we again have the temerity to make any sort of difference.

So your opinion of us is pretty irrelevant to me.

I'll continue to blog on this because I find it terrible and important.


Thank you for your time.

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at 10:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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