I Have A Plan, Mr. President...

[SAYIT]

... In fact, I believe you have the same plan but cannot say it publically.
I would do as we did during the 8 years long Iran/Iraq War (1980-1988). I would clandestinely arm both (all) sides of the conflict - ISIS/al Qaeda, Syria, Syrian rebels, Kurds, etc. - and have them busy themselves playing war in the mountains, deserts and no-man's lands of the Mideast. We can wring our hands for the hapless people caught in the crossfire, support a few useless UN resolutions decrying the violence and when the sand settles allow the "winner" to fire their weapons into the air and rule all they survey. It a win-win-win!

 

[Rikurzhen]

Original but you know there will be blowback and history doesn't forget. Why not achieve the same end by not interfering?

 

[SAYIT]

Original but you know there will be blowback and history doesn't forget. Why not achieve the same end by not interfering?

Because blowback occurs whether we do or we don't and because I believe our interests (oil) there compel us to attempt to mold the situation to serve those interests. Some bad things can happen but then you gotta break some eggs to make an omelet.
Like it or not we live in a global economy and Mideast oil lubricates that economy.

 

[Rikurzhen]

Original but you know there will be blowback and history doesn't forget. Why not achieve the same end by not interfering?

Because blowback occurs whether we do or we don't and because I believe our interests (oil) there compel us to attempt to mold the situation to serve those interests. Some bad things can happen but then you gotta break some eggs to make an omelet.
Like it or not we live in a global economy and Mideast oil lubricates that economy.

The Middle East countries with oil aren't doing anyone a favor by selling oil. Trade is mutually beneficial. We need oil, they need money. As soon as they stop selling oil, misery will rain down from the sky as the people have nothing to eat, no gas for their cars, to water for their homes, all powered by oil money.

If we can't do without oil, they similarly can't do without money and the imports paid for by that money. It's a mutual dependence.

 

[SAYIT]

Original but you know there will be blowback and history doesn't forget. Why not achieve the same end by not interfering?

Because blowback occurs whether we do or we don't and because I believe our interests (oil) there compel us to attempt to mold the situation to serve those interests. Some bad things can happen but then you gotta break some eggs to make an omelet.
Like it or not we live in a global economy and Mideast oil lubricates that economy.

The Middle East countries with oil aren't doing anyone a favor by selling oil. Trade is mutually beneficial. We need oil, they need money. As soon as they stop selling oil, misery will rain down from the sky as the people have nothing to eat, no gas for their cars, to water for their homes, all powered by oil money.

If we can't do without oil, they similarly can't do without money and the imports paid for by that money. It's a mutual dependence.

Fair enough but even a disruption - such as that caused by Saddam's firing of Kuwait's oil fields - can cause a price rise which would precipitate a global economic catastrophe. Please don't ask me to describe it as I believe you already know the consequences.

 

[Rikurzhen]

Original but you know there will be blowback and history doesn't forget. Why not achieve the same end by not interfering?

Because blowback occurs whether we do or we don't and because I believe our interests (oil) there compel us to attempt to mold the situation to serve those interests. Some bad things can happen but then you gotta break some eggs to make an omelet.
Like it or not we live in a global economy and Mideast oil lubricates that economy.

The Middle East countries with oil aren't doing anyone a favor by selling oil. Trade is mutually beneficial. We need oil, they need money. As soon as they stop selling oil, misery will rain down from the sky as the people have nothing to eat, no gas for their cars, to water for their homes, all powered by oil money.

If we can't do without oil, they similarly can't do without money and the imports paid for by that money. It's a mutual dependence.

Fair enough but even a disruption - such as that caused by Saddam's firing of Kuwait's oil fields - can cause a price rise which would precipitate a global economic catastrophe. Please don't ask me to describe it as I believe you already know the consequences.

True so far as it goes, but is that the whole picture. A disruption in one Iraqi oil field doesn't mean that all of Iraq is off line.

Here's the thing - a temporary spike can be somewhat ameliorate by increased pumping from Saudi Arabia and other nations. The US can keep export controls in place for its oil. We currently import 15,867,000 barrels per month from Iraq. We import 97,119,000 barrels per month from Canada.

We're still dealing with the fallout from our Iranian adventurism from the 1950s when we staged a coup there. That came back to bite us with the rise of the Theocracy there.

If they're slaughtering themselves, there's really no need for us to go in and actively invite blame to be directed on ourselves. Look at how grateful the Iraqis are to the US for ovethrowing Saddam. Not very. No good deed goes unpunished in the ME.

 

[SAYIT]

Original but you know there will be blowback and history doesn't forget. Why not achieve the same end by not interfering?

Because blowback occurs whether we do or we don't and because I believe our interests (oil) there compel us to attempt to mold the situation to serve those interests. Some bad things can happen but then you gotta break some eggs to make an omelet.
Like it or not we live in a global economy and Mideast oil lubricates that economy.

The Middle East countries with oil aren't doing anyone a favor by selling oil. Trade is mutually beneficial. We need oil, they need money. As soon as they stop selling oil, misery will rain down from the sky as the people have nothing to eat, no gas for their cars, to water for their homes, all powered by oil money.

If we can't do without oil, they similarly can't do without money and the imports paid for by that money. It's a mutual dependence.

Fair enough but even a disruption - such as that caused by Saddam's firing of Kuwait's oil fields - can cause a price rise which would precipitate a global economic catastrophe. Please don't ask me to describe it as I believe you already know the consequences.

True so far as it goes, but is that the whole picture. A disruption in one Iraqi oil field doesn't mean that all of Iraq is off line.

Here's the thing - a temporary spike can be somewhat ameliorate by increased pumping from Saudi Arabia and other nations. The US can keep export controls in place for its oil. We currently import 15,867,000 barrels per month from Iraq. We import 97,119,000 barrels per month from Canada.

We're still dealing with the fallout from our Iranian adventurism from the 1950s when we staged a coup there. That came back to bite us with the rise of the Theocracy there.

If they're slaughtering themselves, there's really no need for us to go in and actively invite blame to be directed on ourselves. Look at how grateful the Iraqis are to the US for ovethrowing Saddam. Not very. No good deed goes unpunished in the ME.

In case you haven't noticed, we get the blame either way and I'm not talking about the temporary loss of an Iraqi oil well but rather of a significant portion of Mideast oil for a number of years. Yeah, we would be OK for a while but the fungible nature of oil would mean severe upward pressure on prices even here. That would hurt us but be devastating globally which, over time, would be bad for our economy and catastrophic for the world (and eventually us).

 

[blastoff]

We slaughter a lot of pigs in this country. Perhaps we should collect all their blood and airdrop it on the bad guys like we do trying to put out forest fires. Then when they're killed fighting one another Allah can sort it all out.