Should the USA have a presence in the Mid East?

[Toots]

Do we belong there? Do we have national Security issues there? I think we need to have a presence there. We are whether we like it or not dependent on foreign oil. Our military operates on oil. Our country operates on oil. We need to be there to protect our access to oil until we can come up with an alternative which IMO should be our highest priority. What we need is for our government to be truthful with us and say yes we are there to protect our interests. Not establishing Democracy or liberating Iraqis from Saddam. We need to be straight forward and say we want to maintain a presence so we can protect our access to the oil. Iran is trying to get all Arab nations to ask America to leave. Because of how we have treated Iraq and it's people Arab nations are truly considering such a thing. They are beginning not to like us or our money. Why is it Americans have to be such LIARS? Is it so damn hard to just state the obvious truths? We currently need their oil and we are in danger of losing access because of the Republicans. They are a National Security threat by their behavior and America has to quickly make amends or there will be a whole lot more warfare...Why is common sense so hard to come by in this country? I am definitely not saying "Stay the Course" in Iraq but I am saying we need a presence there and I would like it to be a presence that was appreciated and welcomed instead of hated or tolerated. I don't want our Ambassadors to have to constantly be in fear for their lives because of Republican arrogance and condescension. Does anyone think that scenerio is possible anymore?

[Horse with no Name]

1. No.

That region has survived thousands of years without a US presence and I am sure it will survive thousands more.

[Toots]

2. It is not a case of their survival but ours...

:shrug:

[Horse with no Name]

8. Our problem tends to be though

That we cannot go there and coexist with the present religious/political structure.
We feel we need to change it to keep ourselves more comfortable.
Somewhere along the lines "While in Rome Do as the Romans Do" seems to fallen out of favor to the tune of "while in Rome--tear the muthafucka down and make it to our liking".
If we could learn to play nicely in the sandbox, I am sure we would be welcomed. However, ANY US presence will signify an Act of War to almost any middeastern nation.
THAT is GWB's legacy.

[wuushew]

11. This country could survive on synthetic oil like the Germans

The United States has the richest reserves of coal in the world. The other obvious solutions are increased conservation or manufacture of bio-fuels.

It is not a matter of "survival" but rather political/economic unwillingness to pay higher dollar amounts for liquid fuels. Throw in Israel and our "mission" to democratize the world and you have substantial cover for what is essentially a blood for oil arrangement.

[The Stranger]

12. No nation in the Middle East could ever pose a threat to the U.S.

There is therefore no justification for occupying its land, stealing its resources, torturing and murdering its people.

[Name removed]

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[Toots]

9. Imagine America having to do with 30% less oil

All trucking would stop which means virtually everything you buy in any store would either cease to exist or become so expensive as to be un affordable. The military would get the majority of the oil as top priority so America would be without a lot more than 30%. It would be devastating and Venezuela is going to go with the Arabs on this one... We get twenty percent of our imported oil from Venezuela alone...

[The Stranger]

13. You assume wrongly that not occupying Middle East nations means no oil.

We would continue to buy oil from them and, as one of their biggest customers, they would be happy to sell.

[endarkenment]

4. No and we need to make it a national priority to make this so.

The resources we are wasting playing king of the hill with cheap oil resources need to be diverted to a crash program to develop an alternative sustainable earth friendly human ecological infrastructure. The end game of our current plan is a global oil war that will make the current conflict look like a mere blip. Where we are headed is madness and we need to change course immediately.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. Sovereign nations mean just that. Sovereign.

How about asking if the Mideast should have a prescence in this country. Mosques galore. Women not allowed on the street without a male escort, covered head to toe in burkas and veils.

[originalpckelly]

6. We shouldn't have a "presence" anywhere but our own country...

because telling people what to do is a form of tyranny. It's undemocratic for America to use force on other countries, or the threat of force.

Now, if the country requires assistance, and wants our help, that's different. But if we are there simply to twist their arms, that's wrong.

[Bluerthanblue]

14. very well said- I agree, our 'needs' do not justify our deeds-

and our 'needs' are quite honestly, not 'needs' but what we have become accustomed to believing we 'must have' in order to maintain a lifestyle that is driving us to do things we claim we stand opposed to-

I think we need some sincere introspection-
with all our wealth, power and opportunity, are the American people truly content? or are most of us running the rat-race in some kind of effort to reach ... what exactly?-

How many people work at jobs they love?

Don't feel rushed to be/do/get somewhere/something/somehow?

How many of us wake up looking forward to what the day may bring- rather than dreading this or that, or working endlessly 'towards' something, ignoring the reality that this moment may be the last one for any of us-?

Life is really all about the journey, not the destination- I see far too many people desperate to fill some kind of ...void.... and a popular way to do that in this nation is with 'stuff' and more 'stuff' bigger, shiner, newer, more high tech 'stuff'.... and contentment is somehow always just out of reach......

[theophilus]

7. We probably should keep all of our troops in Israel. We could keep

an eye on them in more ways than one. Hey, how many of our troops does our good friend and ally Israel allow in right now? I'm curious.

[independentpiney]

10. No, there's no reason for overseas military presence anywhere.

The only people in the region who welcome a standing american presence are despotic rulers and the ultra-wealthy who are invested in maintaining 'stability'. To the bulk of the population, we will always be seen as preventing their right to self-determination when it's in our self-interest, and we'll be resented for doing so.

In less time than we've been in Iraq, we mobilized from having practically no military to defeating the Japanese in the Pacific war and simultaneously helping win in Europe. With modern force projection capabilities, there's no strategic national security need to have overseas bases, it's just a justification for keeping the military-industrial complex running.