If you care to see how utterly mind blowing the Middle East is with the US and its taxpayers, conservatives say they care so much about, in the middle of the mess I created a simplified picture of sorts explaining alliances that exist today as yet another former ally, Yemen, falls. I entitle it "What Bush has Wrought."
The first thing you must know is that before the Iraq invasion by Bush and his neo Con Project for a New American Century "geniuses," the Middle East, in large part, was a compilation of states controlled by strong men in the form often of military dictatorships like Sadam Hussein's Iraq. No, it was not a Jeffersonian Democracy in that neck of the tinderbox woods but it did keep the lid at least partially on. Now the lid is off. Yes, students, Democracy is not for everyone. 5000 American deaths later, tens of thousands wounded and a tab of 4 trillion and counting into perpetuity says that is so. It is your tax dollar at work!
The US pounced on Iraq based on the lies of WMD that Iraq did not possess and made "shock and awe" war on country that did nothing to the US. It did not matter as preemptive-war Bush created his brand new American rationale for war -- strike anyone no matter who before they strike you and do not worry about who attacked whom first or what WMD they allegedly possessed and surely do not worry about telling the truth. War is very good for business doncha know.
"We got him" referring to Sadam Hussein said the proud bloviating Bush as this less-than-brilliant (I say charitably) president donned the flight suit equipped with his outlined manly genitalia, marched onto the USS Lincoln and proclaimed "Mission Accomplished."
This is what he accomplished -- explosive anarchy in a region where the Bush NeoCon geniuses did not evidently realize that sectarian rift between Shia and Sunni ruled the day and often erupted into sectarian war with each other. Throw ISIS, Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and many other violent groups that were NEVER in Iraq until after the US invasion into the mix and one gets a witches' brew of Shakespearean proportion.
Thirteen years later -- yes, THIRTEEN years later -- mission is as far from accomplished as god allegedly was not on the first day of Biblical mythical creation. In few words it is a Middle East mess that the US created waging a war on Iraq and blowing the region up in "shock and awe" war based on WMD lies. The Bush regime blew up a tinder box region and like a bull in a china shop broke up nearly every blessed state on the Middle East map in the process. Humpty Dumpty is broken never to be repaired in the foreseeable future IF ever! So here, in short (very short) form is how it sorts out just so you will know when world war breaks out.
I had to actually make myself a chart of sorts to figure out the alliances between Iran, Iraq, and ISIS, etc. now that Yemen, important US ally, is falling. Saudi Arabia is stepping in to try to save Yemen. The US is supporting Saudi Arabia (Sunnis) that began airstrikes against Houthi (Shias) rebels in Yemen. But (and here is the crucial point) the US is supporting Iran/Shias in Iraq against ISIS, ISIL, Al Qaeda and AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.) Salt and pepper in Syria which experts say is the road that leads to all of it and my brain begins to bleed.
The Bush invasion began the break up into sectarian violence of Iraq handing Iran the key to Iraq and exploding the region. Other states followed in the so called Arab Spring with revolts of Tunisia and Egypt with its eventual military ousting an elected Morsi who is now in jail. Last I looked Al-Sisi ruled Egypt -- key -- last I looked.
Who in the US is going to try to figure this out? Few so the US policy maker men of sterling intellect can throw any damn thing they want as a rationale for permanent war and most of the American electorate will buy it because they haven't a clue about the region and worse are not even curious.
Ah, for the good old days of Spy vs. Spy anti Communism when things were simpler. Of course, this leads me to my next thought of the Ukrainian Russian v. US mess too not to mention the Palestinian/Israeli insanity and the stage is set. Is the world inching to WWIII with Pakistan, Israel, Russia and US nukes? I do not know. I have to go back to bed and hide as my brain is still bleeding from all of it.
Yes, electing Republicans is such a good idea -- NOT
News flash: Just heard the Germanwings plane was brought down deliberately by the co-pilot. Yes, God help us all!
