"No WMD" was why I used the term "circumstantial." For the dozen years after the end of the First Gulf War he acted as though he had them. He regularly screwed around with the international inspection teams. Still, invasion not needed
Alex, you along with several other writers on Substack (Jeff Childers, Dr Robert Malone, and a couple more) are the few who I find to have well thought out, calm, intelligent, and deliberative positions on today’s political landscape. This was an excellent article that highlighted and re-affirmed my position on what President Trump is doing. Thank you - you put forth a comprehensive and sane article in a sometimes crazy world.
(I might have known you were a Marine! My father, 2 uncles [WWII] and one nephew [Iraq] are Marines. One uncle was in the Army, which can’t be held against him 😄; he fought well in WWII. Semper Fi!)
Another wonderful article that is so clearly written that anyone could understand the points you make. Americans don't understand that not all countries want to be a democracy. Iranians would be happy to have the current Shah in exile back in power.
Trump, with General Dan Raizin' Caine by his side, is doing what should have been done years ago. I remember the photos of the Shah of Iran surrounded by attractive women. The people have now suffered under the mullahs for almost fifty years—fifty years too long.
I agreed with President Bush when he declined to depose Saddam, he had no mandate. He was then cruelly wrong when he abandoned the southern shiites when, after being promised support if they would rise up against Saddam, he then abandoned them, not even providing them with captured weapons. After 9/11, kicking the taliban out of Afghanistan was the right thing to do, but then staying for 20 years was a BAD mistake. As for Iraq, even had Saddam had WMD, and the circumstantial evidence was very strong, he was not a real threat to us, and was still a balance to Iran -- invasion and regime change was another BAD mistake. I pray that this does not become a well-intentioned mistake.
What is the ROI of our approximate $7 trillion war expenditures in the Middle East over the past several decades? Our Middle East follies have not resulted in any benefits for American citizens outside the shareholders of the military/ industrial complex. Long past time to pivot all military resources out of that region and stop wasting tax dollars and risking the lives of our troops.
There is little argument that stability in the Middle East is a valuable asset to the US and its allies as it reduces the risk of another World War. A regime that gunned down 30,000 of its own citizens is Not Stable. Stopping the buildup of nuclear arms in the hands of a regime who rages “death to America,” and has killed members of our military is appropriate and timely. Trump has prevented war through his actions.
We just ended a 46 year old hot/cold war with a tyrannical Islamist regime whose diabolical machinations and terrorist atrocities and networks have colored and influenced every event in the Middle East and many parts of the world throughout that entire time period.
That has to be a good thing.
But whether it’s the Trump administration or whoever comes after, we have to face the elephant in the room and that is the mass infiltration of Islamic sympathizers in our country. They are the ticking time bomb that needs to be called out and dealt with head on before they dig their trenches any deeper into the fabric of this country.
Europe, Canada and the UK closed their eyes to the threat and now they are held captive by it, and, perhaps sooner than anyone would like to admit, to be completely taken over by it. Does it need mentioning that France and the UK are nuclear powered nations?
Iran won’t have a nuclear weapon. But maybe someone else will.
I can’t say I know how to go about ridding ourselves of the threat Islam poses, but I believe we are on borrowed time. We’d better figure it out fast.
Expose! Expose! That's why I just subscribed to amuse, because he is one of the best explaining so methodically the implications of policies. We all need to learn how our too-long taken-for-granted principles of freedom are being undermined, words redefined, and long trusted systems overrun by hostile actors - some don't even realize the powers to which they are surrendering.
Thank you for your service. I fired one of my brothers from the family business and told him that he needed to learn how to follow orders. He joined the Marines and learned. Thanks, Marine Corps. Semper Fi.
The overarching lesson from the past 30 years is that tribal cultures are not compatible with Western Civilization. We can't force or entice them out of the tribal mindset, if they want to keep their culture, let them. But we shouldn't let them into our countries if they don't want to assimilate.
It's a tough lesson to learn, that not everyone wants to be like us. But it's crucial for the survival of OUR civilization that we take the lesson to heart, and act on it. And it's crucial that we maintain the military power to remind tribal cultures that we will defend our civilization.
CC, I am betting the average age of the people who like your post is around 30, and have no idea what war looks like. All they see is the “Great Satan,” and the “Little Satan.”
"No WMD" was why I used the term "circumstantial." For the dozen years after the end of the First Gulf War he acted as though he had them. He regularly screwed around with the international inspection teams. Still, invasion not needed
Alex, you along with several other writers on Substack (Jeff Childers, Dr Robert Malone, and a couple more) are the few who I find to have well thought out, calm, intelligent, and deliberative positions on today’s political landscape. This was an excellent article that highlighted and re-affirmed my position on what President Trump is doing. Thank you - you put forth a comprehensive and sane article in a sometimes crazy world.
(I might have known you were a Marine! My father, 2 uncles [WWII] and one nephew [Iraq] are Marines. One uncle was in the Army, which can’t be held against him 😄; he fought well in WWII. Semper Fi!)
Another wonderful article that is so clearly written that anyone could understand the points you make. Americans don't understand that not all countries want to be a democracy. Iranians would be happy to have the current Shah in exile back in power.
Trump, with General Dan Raizin' Caine by his side, is doing what should have been done years ago. I remember the photos of the Shah of Iran surrounded by attractive women. The people have now suffered under the mullahs for almost fifty years—fifty years too long.
Trump loathes unnecessary loss of life.
Diplomacy was rejected by Iran. Deadlines are deadlines.
Poor decisions come with consequences that must be dire whenever required.
I think you described this very accurately. Thank you
I agreed with President Bush when he declined to depose Saddam, he had no mandate. He was then cruelly wrong when he abandoned the southern shiites when, after being promised support if they would rise up against Saddam, he then abandoned them, not even providing them with captured weapons. After 9/11, kicking the taliban out of Afghanistan was the right thing to do, but then staying for 20 years was a BAD mistake. As for Iraq, even had Saddam had WMD, and the circumstantial evidence was very strong, he was not a real threat to us, and was still a balance to Iran -- invasion and regime change was another BAD mistake. I pray that this does not become a well-intentioned mistake.
Bush was in it for the money. Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudi, and he attacked Iraq and Afghanistan. No WMD were ever found.
What is the ROI of our approximate $7 trillion war expenditures in the Middle East over the past several decades? Our Middle East follies have not resulted in any benefits for American citizens outside the shareholders of the military/ industrial complex. Long past time to pivot all military resources out of that region and stop wasting tax dollars and risking the lives of our troops.
There is little argument that stability in the Middle East is a valuable asset to the US and its allies as it reduces the risk of another World War. A regime that gunned down 30,000 of its own citizens is Not Stable. Stopping the buildup of nuclear arms in the hands of a regime who rages “death to America,” and has killed members of our military is appropriate and timely. Trump has prevented war through his actions.
We just ended a 46 year old hot/cold war with a tyrannical Islamist regime whose diabolical machinations and terrorist atrocities and networks have colored and influenced every event in the Middle East and many parts of the world throughout that entire time period.
That has to be a good thing.
But whether it’s the Trump administration or whoever comes after, we have to face the elephant in the room and that is the mass infiltration of Islamic sympathizers in our country. They are the ticking time bomb that needs to be called out and dealt with head on before they dig their trenches any deeper into the fabric of this country.
Europe, Canada and the UK closed their eyes to the threat and now they are held captive by it, and, perhaps sooner than anyone would like to admit, to be completely taken over by it. Does it need mentioning that France and the UK are nuclear powered nations?
Iran won’t have a nuclear weapon. But maybe someone else will.
I can’t say I know how to go about ridding ourselves of the threat Islam poses, but I believe we are on borrowed time. We’d better figure it out fast.
Expose! Expose! That's why I just subscribed to amuse, because he is one of the best explaining so methodically the implications of policies. We all need to learn how our too-long taken-for-granted principles of freedom are being undermined, words redefined, and long trusted systems overrun by hostile actors - some don't even realize the powers to which they are surrendering.
Thank you for your service. I fired one of my brothers from the family business and told him that he needed to learn how to follow orders. He joined the Marines and learned. Thanks, Marine Corps. Semper Fi.
The overarching lesson from the past 30 years is that tribal cultures are not compatible with Western Civilization. We can't force or entice them out of the tribal mindset, if they want to keep their culture, let them. But we shouldn't let them into our countries if they don't want to assimilate.
It's a tough lesson to learn, that not everyone wants to be like us. But it's crucial for the survival of OUR civilization that we take the lesson to heart, and act on it. And it's crucial that we maintain the military power to remind tribal cultures that we will defend our civilization.
https://scottritter.substack.com/p/regime-change-the-double-edged-sword?r=1n45jn&utm_medium=ios
CC, I am betting the average age of the people who like your post is around 30, and have no idea what war looks like. All they see is the “Great Satan,” and the “Little Satan.”