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Originally Posted by scout
If you had argued there was a time when most of the dictators there had been "installed" by America then it would be non-argueable.
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Well then, assume I simply left out "had" - for the crux of the point remains the same. Also presume by "we" I meant Western society.
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Your statement about our money buying their oil keeps them in power is true and I agree 100%.
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Good.
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However, this is a religious war to them...
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Who is "them"? I presume you refer to the terrorists? I don't believe it is a religious war for them anymore than I believe Bush is fighting this war for his religion. But for both, religion is a tool. The Bin Laden's use it to obtain men to follow orders and offer support. The Bush administration uses it to solidify 30-some-odd percent of conservatives, the Christian Right. This is a war like every other war ever fought - a war of control. The West wants to continue to control the Middle East and the Middle East wants to, initially, shake their controllers and eventually control the West.
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This is one of the many reasons why pouring more money into the region would be a tee-total waste. We already pour billions into the region every year with oil revenues and foriegn aid, and ultimately it's used against us to further their causes.
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It all depends on where the money goes. Almost every penny of the money we spend is handed over to dictators who use it to control the populace - preventing the populace from revolting. Remove the income we provide and the dictatorships will fall. Continue, as we have for decades, in financing the dictatorships and the Terrorist leaders will have a well spring of oppressed people to convert to their last-hope cause: attacking the West.
To bring this somewhat back to the topic - appeasement - it is the definition of appeasement to continue to finance the dictatorships, it appeases the dictators because they are able to hold onto power and it appeases the terrorists because they have a never ending supply of people to convert. It is the definition of appeasement to send 150,000 troops to demolish a country with no attainable goal to the destruction because it requires collaboration with dictators and because it produces thousands of mourning families for the terrorists to convert. Bush's tactics are an absolute no-win scenario. The French may or may not recognize this - but regardless, they did not make the wrong decision.