2016 Postmortem

Ken Burch

(50,254 posts)

16. What, exactly, CAN we do about women, gays and progressives in the Middle East?

Tue Mar 22, 2016, 04:07 AM

Mar 2016

What can we possibly do militarily that could help them? How, exactly, do we FIGHT ISIS?

It is a horrible situation, and I don't see any way that our military can do anything to help anyone in the Middle East.

If we overthrow Assad, that simply puts other reactionaries in power in Syria. If we hold off the Taliban in Afghanistan, we simply preserve the power of a group of tribal chieftains who are just barely less psychotic than the 'ban.

There is no one who is equivalent to the heroic leftists and democrats of Spain, or the antifascist partisans in Nazi-and Fascist-occupied Europe, or ANC in South Africa, or the Sandinistas or FMLN in Central America in the Eighties, in the Middle East of today...at least among any of the armed factions.

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Do you think we need a more "muscular" policy towards the Middle East? [View all] Ken Burch Mar 2016 OP

Depends on which "muscle" we exercise - if it's the one between our ears, it might work . . . Journeyman Mar 2016 #1

We lost. Get out. Get over it. Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2016 #2

^pretty much this ^ + 1000 Betty Karlson Mar 2016 #11

Agreed. senz Mar 2016 #18

Where's the diplomacy option? joshcryer Mar 2016 #3

With Kerry as SOS, I think that's the "as is" option. I've been very happy with Kerry's work. JonLeibowitz Mar 2016 #4

Fair enough. joshcryer Mar 2016 #6

Yes, indeed. But I think the topic here is the Middle East, not legitimate failings in Eurasia / JonLeibowitz Mar 2016 #7

Obama has it right. Hillary and Sanders are both wrong. Onlooker Mar 2016 #5

Bernie can't be a socialist AND a libertarian. Ken Burch Mar 2016 #8

On foreign affairs, he's certainly not a socialist Onlooker Mar 2016 #9

There can never again be an American military intervention worthy of socialist support. Ken Burch Mar 2016 #10

Well, we can't very well go into a region, impose governments ... Onlooker Mar 2016 #12

Why prop up governments whose authority no one accepts? Ken Burch Mar 2016 #14

We created a mess there Onlooker Mar 2016 #15

What, exactly, CAN we do about women, gays and progressives in the Middle East? Ken Burch Mar 2016 #16

This message was self-deleted by its author Onlooker Mar 2016 #13

Other than ISIS, I'd say leave them alone. senz Mar 2016 #17

We need a more muscular sustainable energy policy. Waiting For Everyman Mar 2016 #19

Seriously. Warren DeMontague Mar 2016 #20