We have decided to add a new feature and end the week with some focus on good news. Here are just a few positive developments and occurrences in the last seven days.
Iraq: You would never know it from watching TV but the US and our allies had some significant victories this week. Al Qaeda leadership has fled Baquba in Diyala province, one of the major problem areas in the country. Remaining leadership figures in the Baquba province were captured or killed, including some linked directly to Iran. Earlier in the week, American and Coalition forces killed at least 30 more terrorists. In addition, we are building a working alliance with a Sunni Group that has abandoned its relationship with Al Qaeda. Victory in war happens when you persuade your enemies, usually by killing, starving or otherwise intimidating, that victory is either impossible or excessively costly and they then give up and surrender the field to you. Since we don’t want to surrender the field to Iranian hegemony and terror chaos, we’d better start focusing on everything going right in Iraq and the consequences of defeat in Iraq and not just on American casualties in Iraq.
North Korea. Ws diplomacy is having some success with North Korean denuclearization. North Korea has agreed to a schedule by which to measure termination of its nuclear production. The President stuck to his guns, forced Dr. Evil into the six party talks so maybe there is some cause for hope in North Korea.
Illegal Immigration. ICE rounded up “scores” of illegal aliens, some criminal, as part of the Bush Administration’s enhanced commitment to enforcement.
Vietnam. W’s diplomacy is also bringing Vietnam into a tighter economic and military relationship with this week’s state visit by the Vietnamese President. Vietnam’s strategic location and historic hostility toward China have not diminished since we gave up in ’74 so it makes sense to have an ally, however thuggish, in that geographic area. It’s called “encirclement” for the liberals, as in we encircle China with American allies.
The foregoing is not an exhaustive list of every optimistic occurrence or development last week, nor an exhaustive discussion of every positive development in each area. The examples above are just a few of things that caught my eye. So what good news caught yours?
Iraq: You would never know it from watching TV but the US and our allies had some significant victories this week. Al Qaeda leadership has fled Baquba in Diyala province, one of the major problem areas in the country. Remaining leadership figures in the Baquba province were captured or killed, including some linked directly to Iran. Earlier in the week, American and Coalition forces killed at least 30 more terrorists. In addition, we are building a working alliance with a Sunni Group that has abandoned its relationship with Al Qaeda. Victory in war happens when you persuade your enemies, usually by killing, starving or otherwise intimidating, that victory is either impossible or excessively costly and they then give up and surrender the field to you. Since we don’t want to surrender the field to Iranian hegemony and terror chaos, we’d better start focusing on everything going right in Iraq and the consequences of defeat in Iraq and not just on American casualties in Iraq.
North Korea. Ws diplomacy is having some success with North Korean denuclearization. North Korea has agreed to a schedule by which to measure termination of its nuclear production. The President stuck to his guns, forced Dr. Evil into the six party talks so maybe there is some cause for hope in North Korea.
Illegal Immigration. ICE rounded up “scores” of illegal aliens, some criminal, as part of the Bush Administration’s enhanced commitment to enforcement.
Vietnam. W’s diplomacy is also bringing Vietnam into a tighter economic and military relationship with this week’s state visit by the Vietnamese President. Vietnam’s strategic location and historic hostility toward China have not diminished since we gave up in ’74 so it makes sense to have an ally, however thuggish, in that geographic area. It’s called “encirclement” for the liberals, as in we encircle China with American allies.
The foregoing is not an exhaustive list of every optimistic occurrence or development last week, nor an exhaustive discussion of every positive development in each area. The examples above are just a few of things that caught my eye. So what good news caught yours?
11 comments:
We're encircling China with American allies? Who would that be? Russia? Nepal? Burma? Philippines?
So if the thugs we feared so much in Vietnam are now our friends why can't we make friends with Iran, too?
Spotlight, happy to oblige.
The Vietnamese had no inherent enmity toward the USA. They were an enemy of coincidence. The Vietnamese had limited concepts of hegemony: unify Vietnam in a nationalist totalitarian government and make Cambodia and Laos economically and militarily subordinate to Vietnam. However, the Vietnamese do have a very long history of hostility to another great power, the Chinese.
The Iranian imperial designs are much broader and much, much more malignant. If one believes their actions since the return of the Ayatollah Khomeini and their rhetoric, especially their current regime came to power, they intend to destroy the United States and exterminate Israel in a genocidal orgy. Their means has been a growing proxy war against the West that is now being fought out in the Hobbsian world of contemporary Iraq, in Gaza and Lebanon. Iran has been listed as the primary sponsor of Islamic terror through the Presidential Administrations of Reagan, through the Yale Bulldog triumvirate of Papa George, prodigal son Bill and Brother George W.
Moreover, the Iranians are motivated not by limited concepts of modern geographic hegemony, like the Vietnamese, but by the very ancient concepts of religious empire along the lines of the great Islamic caliphates of the 8-10th Centuries. A dramatic reduction of Western, and especially American power, and with it prosperity, and safety are an inherent, indeed necessary premise of Iranian ambitions whereas any long term affect on American power or prosperity, other than being subordinate to Vietnam in, well, pretty much just Vietnam, were irrelevant to Vietnamese national aspirations.
In short, we obviously can coexist with Vietnamese communism because they can coexist with us. The Iranians reject coexistence with us, at least in anything that we want us to be; hence, we cannot safely coexist with them, at least not in their current national incarnation. Either they or we win this game my friend. Since I do not think either Spotlight or the Real Sporer would like to live under Sharia law, no freedom of speech in that jurisprudence, I favor our victory.
At the time we were fighting in Vietnam, we were told to fear the domino effect--the collapse of Vietnam to be followed by the collapse of Malaysia, Indonesia, and soon the commies would be wading ashore in San Francisco. All ahistorical nonsense, but all alleged in defense of the war effort by the hawks. You are being just as apocalyptic now with regards to Iran.
You think they are trying to turn us into an Islamic caliphate? Preposterous! Iran hasn't invaded anyone for almost 200 years. We can coexist with them if we can coexist with anyone.
"Go not abroad in search of monsters to destroy."
You took the words right out of my mouth Papa Bear.
Spotlight, reality is not a series of competing cliches and conspiracies.
Papa Bear, can you give a brother a hand and explain what I can't to Spotlight?
Spotlight,
First, rather than deny any facet of my argument you concede the premise by merely restating your question in different words. I provided very sound historically based differences and your response isn’t to address the difference but merely return to a critique of the domino theory. What are the similarities between Iranian policy and Vietnamese policy. You have provided none.
Second, the domino theory wasn’t wrong. Following US withdrawal from Vietnam Cambodia descended into the genocidal Maoist state of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. You’re a lib, you’ve surely wept during “The Killing Fields”. US victory in Vietnam means no Killing Fields so John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Jane Fonda have that one square on their consciences.
The communist guerillas in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines all became more aggressive and dangerous in the mid-late 70s, as they did in Central America, South America and Africa. The election of Reagan in 80 changed American policy into a return to aggressive confrontation of Soviet communism all over the world and that unwound much of the damage caused by failure to win in Vietnam. The dominos weren’t given time to completely fall.
Third, even if the domino theory was completely wrong, which it was not, that error doesn’t justify appeasement of Iranian hegemony. The Iranians have been explicit about their long-term goals, why do not you believe them. Are they supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and other terror groups and developing nuclear weapons because they are afraid of the United States? What reason for hostility would we have toward Iran if they were not doing those actions?
Your entire argument rests on nothing more sound than the historically unsustainable premise that the United States is the cause and not the victim of Iranian imperialistic jihadism. The word for that is silly.
Sporer,
"they intend to destroy the United States"
Do you really believe this? Does this keep you up at night? Do you also pee in your pants when a four-year-old says his stronger than you and that he's going to kick your ass?
Talking about positive news, you must be proud of the D's in Senate pushing for some real energy initiatives. Unfortunately, R's were able to block some of the bolder moves.
What specifically got blocked.
The Real Sporer is too green. sorry Papa Bear.
Its the only time I will ever disagree, I promise. I pinkie swear.
Well, I'll be! I haven't heard the domino theory defended for a good while!
I am not trying to point similarity between Iran and Vietnam. I am pointing out similarity in pro-war propaganda in the US among hawks. At the time of Vietnam, peaceniks said what you say now: Vietnam is hostile to China. Hawks ignored them, claiming communism was monolithic and was coming to get us. Our credibility and our future depended on holding the line at the DMZ.
Today hawks say the same thing: "Islamofascism" (whatever!) is monolithic, so we must fight them there or they will crawl under our beds and make us pray 5 times a day for violent jihad.
As for Cambodia, recall that Nixon widened the war by invading Cambodia and undercut their neutral government under Prince Sihanouk to the point he could not stay in power. So don't blame some actress for the killing fields.
Does Iran have any reason to be afraid of us? Look at it this way:
Suppose China had invaded neighbors on both sides of us and was threatening to attack us because we supported their enemies? Would you want nuclear weapons?
Iran hasn't attacked anyone for nearly two centuries. They were last attacked by Saddam (who had US support).
"Go not abroad in search of monsters to destroy."
Still trying,
At least two major things got blocked: RPS (renewable portfolio standard), and getting rid of all oil co. subsidies and redirecting those funds to support renewables. - With current oil prices and oil company profits, do they still need our tax money to stay afloat? Apparently many R's think so.
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