submitted by WanderingAutist
Who here believes that fighting wars and conducting regime change in the Middle East is not important to America's national security interests?
Who here believes that fighting wars and conducting regime change in the Middle East is not important to America's national security interests?
As long as California sits on it's ass and doesn't join the shale revolution, we're going to have to have troops there guarding shipments. The blood of every American serviceman that dies over there belongs on the hands of the California EPA. They keep denying permits for new pipelines to the shale oilfields of Texas, and denying the expansion of drilling for shale oil in the Monterrey field. All of that leads to California importing more Middle East oil than the rest of the country put together. By a wide margin.
If it wasn't for fucking California, we could get out of the Mideast tomorrow, and let it become East Asia and Europe's problem.
This is a beautiful strawman argument. Well done.
It's context that no one ever discusses, but needs to be heard about the reasons our troops will continue to bleed and die there. Reality is that Saudi Arabia and Iran hate each other. We are there to stay between them as a buffer so California can get it's oil.
When we leave, nothing will be there to prevent the Saudis and Iranians from turning the Persian Gulf red with each others blood. But East Asia and, to a lesser extent, Europe, will still need Persian Gulf oil to fuel their economies. They will have to send their navies to the Persian Gulf, pick a side in the war, load up the crude, and escort it to safety. Because of shale, America won't need to give a damn about either the country that sponsored the 9/11 hijackers, or the country that cheered it.
I want us out of the Middle East yesterday, but due to California, we're stuck there.
Golf clap for the double down.
I don't believe successful regime change is possible, but I don't mind us fucking shit up when we're attacked.
Choo choo motherfucker. I've been on board since my first deployment.
Off topic but I was raised in Oregon timber country myself.
Well, we don't import our energy anymore, so it's not calif.
It's not about regime change anymore under President Trump.
It's about a coalition to deal with Iran, and we will do some of the heavy lifting.
This will keep the Saudi etc, from starting their own nuke programs to meet the Iran threat, that the main reason.
It's one thing to wipe the Iran & proxys from the other countries in the region, quite another to hit the Iranians on their home soil, we may encourage a popular uprising though...
If they have any leaders/arms dumps left by the end of the week, every time they poke their heads up it's gonna hurt. I expect to be seeing the other states in the region to escalate against Iran on every front they have set up over the Obama years...
I don't rule out some leadership strikes on Iran, if they go really rogue though...
Iran's oil is for Europe and especially Turkey. Any interruptions only benefits the Russians LOL... The market spikes here is just reactions to the news, it will calm down again IMHO We're a net exporter Now, although saudi oil comes in for refining...which should change as their new plants come online to full production.
The Hormuz corridor, could be a pinch point, Iran has been flexing around there forever, it could heat up a tad, but IMHO it's a pretty lame Iranian 'navy' LOL
TO answer your question, I don't care which murderer rules over there. The leaders have always been the most ruthless, to contain the islamists from power even in the little tribes... it's only when they think it's ok to start to export their crap to other countries, that they should be slapped down. It's more important to Europe than the US, which is why they are squawking like the democrats & neocons against the Trump Policy LOL...
Edit: the other thing is we stayed out of the Iran/Iraq War for decades before Saddam was a household name here, that war got to the point of literal human wave attacks with boys & old men in sandals, Iraq had the superior arms but not enough of them to end Iran. Millions died over that war. Turkey could be the next Iraq as far as power & reach...they are all vying for dominance, as they have for eons...let them.
IF I were king, it would be ONLY drones, and if/when we send troops, it's to encircle, and kill the circle, then come home... although having our best teaching Those fighting Iran, a bit makes sense too