Curmudgeon:
I had a Spanish friend tell me that Americans are too hard on ourselves. That we are the greatest power on the earth and that we better get used to it instead of crying all the time that nobody likes us. That we need to embrace the responsibility that comes with the postion as the worlds greatest power instead of trying to deny what we are.
Becuase of our roots we are uncomfortable in the roll of the last great colonial power............................................. .....................................
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In a vast oversimplification, you never love the guy in charge, but if he is fair, leaves you alone as long as you play well in the playpen but slaps you (or your neighbor) if you screw up, then you will come to respect and admire him.
This is a rather narcissistic worldview that is embodied in the PNAC and it overstates America's military might, as events in one very small and backward corner of the Globe (Iraq) have demonstrated.
I also have difficulty with the playpen analogy since what is "Fair" is a matter of opinion and America's "fairness" is a matter of some debate, particularly in the Islamic world.
If such a course was adopted, I believe other nations will gang up, under the leadership of Russia, China or India or all three and do to America and it's interests exactly what we did to Soviet Russia.
Tacitus:
To our foreign critics on this thread: I don't have any particular dislike for foreigners. I don't detect any xenophobia on this board. For all I know your own elected representatives combine the wisdom of Solomon, the character of George Washington, and common sense of Abraham Lincoln. And if they were taking the lead in world affairs, it would all be sweetness and light. Perhaps you can even point to a past record bearing out this ability. Feel free to solve this little Al Qaeda / Islamists problem any time it is convenient for you. Really, we wouldn't mind!
I remind you that JJackson (not that he needs defending) and myself come from countries that currently have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan so we have a vested interest in the outcome of some of these discussions. We are also identified (for better or worse) as your natural allies, and as nations, have experience in successful counterinsurgency campaigns that we believe it is useful to contribute.
It has also been said that your friends can always be counted on to tell you things you don't want to hear - in your best interest of course.
My advice is quite serious, please consider the tactics and strategies used from approximately 1952 to 1990 that broke the USSR, first detaching its satellites (Poland, Czeckoslovakia, Roumania, East Germany, etc.) through the use of "Soft" power then by causing an economic implosion in Russia itself as it tried to keep up with American Defence spending.
The architects of this set of strategies are now mainly dead, but the history books contain many of the details. Most of the institutions that were part of it are long gone, the only exception I can think of being the Peace Corps.
In action, my proposed solution would mean using Diplomatic, Social, humanitarian and economic measures to detach countries from Iran, starting with Syria, supporting moderate opinion leaders everywhere among the Islamic community and providing them with the philosophical tools to confront Wahabism, the objective being to detach populations (especially the young and easily led) from Wahabism.
It's doable and it's feasible. Here is a hint; google "Arab Drifters" and watch the video on you tube. How easy is it to build a program to ensure that none of these guys and other rev heads never get radicalised?
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