http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-159.html Check it out, this analyzes our policies in the Middle East and details our amount of interventionism. Keep in mind, this was also written in 1991. Even more has occurred since then. Discuss. http://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb108/hb108-7.pdf An analysis of how to react to 9/11 overseas. This was for the 108th Congress, which met from 2003-2005. Some great advice, then and now.
It's a lot of reading, but it again puts forth the points me, Tesla, and a number of people are making. I would not be surprised if it goes unignored, or if someone comes in here "ZOMG the Cato Institute is the devil! Blasphemy!" rather than debate the foreign policy points they make. It'd be par for the course.
The Cato institute is very respected (by a broad range of people) ~~~ Perhaps a few of your readers need something easier to understand: Mass-Murder in the Middle-East is immoral and crazy. Surrender Should Not Be an Option Ron Paul on the war.
I was skimming through it and noticed this: The war was launched to regain not only Arab territory but Arab pride as well. That explanation, which is true as far as it goes, gives a distorted picture. Often overlooked are the Arab leaders' efforts to make peace with Israel before 1973. In November 1967 King Hussein offered to recognize Israel's right to exist in peace and security in return for the lands taken from Jordan in the Six-Day War. (Israel had de facto annexed the old city of Jerusalem shortly after that war.) In February 1970 Nasser said, "It will be possible to institute a durable peace between Israel and the Arab states, not excluding economic and diplomatic relations, if Israel evacuates the occupied territories and accepts a settlement of the problem of the Palestinian refugees."(140) (Israel had allowed only 14,000 of 200,000 refugees from the Six-Day War to return.) WOW. So these idiots try to invade Israel in 1967, they get their asses handed to them and end up actually losing land. Then, they say they will recognize Israels right to exist if they can have their lands back. That's laughable. That's like 3 guys come up to you trying to steal your wallet. You beat their asses and take their wallets instead, then as they are rolling around on the ground in pain and blood they tell you: "Hey, if you give us our wallets back, we will acknowledge you're not a pussy."