Cultural change happens over decades and generations not months and years.Why you think we can change their minds ever is beyond me. It will never happen....just as they will never change our minds.
You, like herface, are making my point....nation building is a losing proposition. No country wants to help another for nothing. If you are putting in 2x in a country you better not be getting back x in return. We as a country do not have the money nor patience to nation build while we have poverty and problems here at home. Why is it you want the Federal Government out of State Government but you want our Federal Government to tell other nations how to govern? That seems rather convoluted to me.
It took American intervention in both military presence and people like Edwards Demming to show them how to be an economic super power. Only once the next generation bought into economic exceptionalism did the Japanese become exceptional as well. Korea is similar and the dichotomy between north and south is clear. We bolster South Korea. Let them pay for their own Defense and see how exceptional they are. As to Demming a great innovator....he but instigated a national health care system as they did in Germany. So you have two countries with built in savings..1) We pay for their security 2) Their health care costs are much lower. Now those countries are competing with us and you are bragging about what a success that is. What happened to long term thinking? Long term is not 50 years....nation building does not work. Period. It is a liberal fantasy.
We had two choices in Iraq. Stay there, be protectors and mentors until this radical generation that doesn't want us dies off and the next generation doesn't know anything other than us being there accepts it and moves on...or we pull out and let them kill each other over their religious fanaticism.
I vote we pull out and let them decide their future.
People on both sides of the aisle as well as military leadership predicted the current situation if we pulled out too soon and here it is.
People on both sides of the aisle as well as military leadership predicted the current situation if we continue this nation building crap. Do you think Israel and the Muslim world will ever get along? If so you are living in a fantasy world.
The Muslims are actually fighting us by generation. They have been for a while. Why we think we can change their minds overnight is beyond me. Originally Posted by boardman
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