Can't we all just get along?

[kandrathe]

It is by the way a good point: I think your government ships a lot of tax payers money to the weapons industry (and some other rich people), by starting a war such as in Iraq. I don't think it is a complete theory to think these interest play a big role in making such decisions.

I believe some of this is maybe true. There is certainly "pressure" applied by special interests in the form of political funding, getting there political pick elected, etc. But, I also think you might see it too simplistically, not giving analysts and government policy makers credit for seeing all the chess pieces on the board, or in playing the long game.

There are in fact many moving power interests in play in the middle east, and also vacuums of power that beg to be filled. The long play to get what we want involves movements, or lack of movement (by US, and "them") in myriads of factions in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and etc. etc. parts of Africa, and not to mention the interplay with European interests.

The former President Obama/Kerry plan seemed to be more in containment and allowing for the Balkinization of Iraq and Syria, or allowing them to reform as a puzzle of temporarily non-violent states. With Trump, I think that strategy is moot. I don't think he will be timid in deploying the big stick, to send in the full might of the US military, break it bad, then pull out with no remorse in not hanging around to "nation build".

But, by whatever tactical means, our common (UN) interest is to see the people in the middle east living in peaceful democracies. The cold truth is that, either slowly ( the Obama method) via civil war and displaced refugees, or quickly via unilateral US boots on the ground, those who don't want peace will find death. It's really then a measure of cost, and your gut weakness in watching the collateral damage. I'm maybe in the minority in finding the Obama, "sit back and watch them suffer approach", a bit unsettling.