Western intervention in Libya opened the country up to radical Islamist gangs which had been suppressed under Gaddafi. Just as Gaddafi warned. Same in Syria, where western destabilization efforts have led to an al-Qaeda and ISIS presence that was not there before the west had decided on “regime change” for the secular Assad. Who benefitted from the rise of these radical groups? People like the Manchester suicide bomber, who travelled to both countries for training and radicalization. Western interventionist foreign policy has contributed to the Manchester bombing, a classic “blowback” action. The bomber is guilty, but so are those who endorsed the policies creating conditions for people like him to flourish. Tune in to today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report:
Reprinted from The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity.
the track record of American foreign policy in creating incubators for Islamist movements is too extensive & repeating to be put down to accidents or mistake. The situation in Iraq might have been passed off as unintended consequences from Bush’s Gulf War 2. But once informed by that experience, to continue the pattern of promoting the fall of strong and (relatively) secular central governments in Libya & Egypt each time seeing an Islamist take over, and then to continue the same program in Syria, it can only be seen as a long term strategy.
It leaves only the question of WHY. What national interest is really served by the common thread in all these policies which is unmistakably to deliver failed states to the control of aggressive Islamists? If we can somehow extract this answer (by admission or by leaks…) at least our countries could have an open debate about it and people can at least own the decision if they chose to continue tolerating this policy.
It’s probably two-pronged. Keep arab states weak and divided, and make money off of arms dealings. Neocons don’t care about terror, although the rest of us do, as it is really starting to harm the global economy beyond the general horror of it all, which warmongers never care about.
It would be ghastly to contemplate these being intentional acts of creation rather than, as I think, politicians who are so wholly marinated in ideology that it does not register that foreigners would fail to be grateful for their liberation, occupation, and cultural holocaust.
As for what interest is served, the arms industry is America’s workfare. Every district lobbies to have its own factory assembling this or that component of the new tank, ship, or death ray.
It would be interesting if someone did a purely economic, amoral cost-benefit analysis. I realize arms, intelligence and security contracting are just about the only industries that can’t be offshored into oblivion so to some extent the US economy is dependent on making them busy. Is ths really saving a critical number of jobs or mostly padding the coffers of millionaire executives & shareholders?
If it were only about money, then why not arm all sides? The countries America embargoes & blacklists would have bought just as much US hardware as what is going to the Islamists and other pet projects. Why care so much to pick the winners? And especially Islamists as winners!
It would be bad advertising to OPENLY supply all sides, because reputation does affect shareholder preference. I think that the US does supply its enemies all the time, either accidentally by backing an enemy-of-my-enemy that turns out to be an ingrate (or, like Saddam, out of fashion), or accidentally-done-a-purpose, like wrecking Libya to supply the anti-Syrian government rebels.
In “the war on terror,” Terror is not surrendering. I would observe we have gotten a lot more terror since the central planners launched said war.