Not THIS Time!
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
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Every so often in life there comes a time when inaction is the best action. In other words -- do nothing.
This is such a time. I refer to the crisis in Syria.
While the slaughter in Syria cries out for someone/some country or countries to get between the warring factions and stop the blood letting, it is NOT the place of the United States to intervene. Not THIS time.
May I remind you -- they HATE Americans! We are the Great Satan, remember? Stepping in now, in what is essentially a civil war in Syria, is certainly not going to do a single thing to make the Syrians or the Islamic peoples of the Middle East love us -- or -- even hate us less.
The Syrian quagmire is beckoning someone, anyone, to get sucked in. The US should tread very carefully here and not allow our charity to override clear thinking.
While American "hawks" in the Congress are bristling and showing their fangs, no one should be surprised if the US government fails to act.
Let me be clear: I expect, at some point, US officials will be swayed to, at least, send arms to the Syrian rebels. Sounds great, right? I mean, we get to assist the underdog again. You know. Like we did in Afghanistan against the Russians. Remember?
Uh, who, exactly, are WE fighting today in Afghanistan ... huh?
Yep. The very same people to whom we provided arms in their fight against Russia. Oh, and one of their leaders was a guy you may have heard of ... Osama Bin Laden.
There is a near overpowering urge to take delight in standing on the sidelines and watching America's enemies tear each other apart. It is a feeling, an emotion, if you will, as old as man. Wolves, that were attacking him, have suddenly turned on themselves and are ripping each other to shreds. It is only human to feel relief that your enemies are about to be decimated -- at their own hand.
I refuse to accept any feelings of guilt for that authentic human emotion.
I also refuse to accept guilt when I see nothing in the national interest of the United States that would compel the US to offer up more blood and treasure to save a people who are our enemies now and will continue to be our enemies when the dust settles and the blood drains away into the sewers.
Cold? Maybe. Realistic? Absolutely!
The United States became the global police by default -- the world's sheriff, if you will. So long as the world insists on the US carrying that burden then the global community is going to have to accept that we will pick and choose our battles/wars.
At my last count, there were something like one hundred and ninety-three countries on this planet. That leaves one hundred and ninety-two who, it seems to me, ought to, and COULD, step up and handle the situation in Syria. Look, the Arab nations in Syria's own backyard are standing around wringing their hands and casting their eyes, pleadingly, toward the US. Do you see why the people of America are asking -- why don't YOU do something?
You will have noticed, by now, that I have not mentioned the United Nations breaking up this family feud. There's an excellent reason I left them out, or, at least on the periphery. The plain truth is -- the UN is a joke -- a BAD joke. The only people who take them seriously are -- well, truthfully, nobody leaps to mind. I mean, there ARE those countries that USE the UN, like Russia, China, and even the US, to some degree, but those countries are sophisticated enough to know that the UN is only good as a water boy for the big guys on the block. It is a "playpen" for the worlds bad kids, tin-horn dictators, third-world monarchs, bush-country bandits and pirates, so-called socialist dictators, and such. Serious countries, I mean REAL governments -- as in the western democracies -- KNOW what the UN REALLY is and they put very little stock in it for anything. It is a "strutting and stroking society," and very little else. The UN is quite likely history's largest "cluster blunder," ever!
I am convinced the ONLY reason the US maintains membership in the United Nations is simply because the US needs to be able to keep an eye on them -- much as wary parents keep a watchful eye on their errant kids.
The UN can always be counted on to make things worse. Their "Responsibility to Protect" philosophy is just one of their programs that is guaranteed to keep the world at war -- indefinitely (Maybe the better word here would be: FOREVER!). Keeping the world at war for a prolonged period would seem an integral part of their scheme to create a one-world government (called global governance) with the UN as the ruling body over the entire planet. But that's a story for a future commentary.
On the other hand, I fully expect we will see the UN's "Responsibility to Protect" program/scheme rolled-out any day now in reference to the mayhem in Syria.
The US MUST NOT allow itself to be suckered into flushing more of its treasure and more of the blood of its troops into the vast septic tank created by the UN's connivance. Besides, we must be about the job of re-arming and allowing our battle-hardened/battle weary troops some R&R as we prepare for the looming war with Iran proper over their nuclear ambitions.
Unfortunately, America's current Presidential administration can be expected to buckle under the international pressure and the pressure from domestic "hawks." Truly, TRULY, unfortunate, for the American people, is the fact that the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces is a lackey of the United Nations. This can-- and -- this MUST be corrected in November.
While it is truly disturbing to see men, women, and children literally slaughtered by a brutal dictator, the hard truth is -- the United States cannot assume the thankless responsibility of rescuing another Islamic nation. It is past time they grew up, put their tribal and religious blood feuds behind them and learned to live in the modern world.
The American people understand that a war with Iran is in the offing. It has been brewing since the Carter Administration. When it comes, hell will be unleashed on Iran.
Americans don't want war with Iran, but they understand that with each passing day it becomes less avoidable.
But it must be understood that Americans are tired of rescuing countries, and propping up their governments, only to see them spiral right back into the political morass from which American blood and treasure rescued them in the first place.
When Americans view the utter mess in Syria objectively, they see Iraq and Afghanistan all over again. And THAT they will not abide. Not again. Not this time.
J. D. Longstreet
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