Originally posted by Pete D:
We need to get out of the ME entirely in terms of military and politics. That includes Isreal, which we have supported for far too long. Let them fight their own wars without the support of American money, intelligence, technology etc. If some American companies wish to do business over there, that is their call, but our politics and our military don't need to be there.
It's US pressure on Israel that holds them back from really getting down to fighting. Israel KNOWS they're up against the wall, and a country that's smaller than an average state in the US and surrounded by nations that really don't want it to exist (by virtue of its Jewishness, remember) will come out swinging at any provocation. US policy kept Israel from getting into the fight in Desert Storm, when Saddam was shooting missiles at it, and US policy has reined in Israel's aggression against Lebanon in the past month.
"Think of it, if you like, as a librarian with a G-string under the tweed." Clarkson on the Mondeo.
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