1. Invade Afghanistan (unintended bonus)
2. Invade Iraq
3. Invade Syria
4. Invade Iran
5. Blockade N. Korea until it surrenders
The world according to Richard Perle.
Let’s look at this grand plan:
1. We invaded Afghanistan, ostensibly to get Osama bin Laden and crush the Taliban. We have done neither. In fact, under the watch of this administration the Taliban is getting very strong again in Afghanistan because we have not invested the resources into rebuilding the country that we should have. The creation of a new constitution not withstanding, Afghanistan needs more of everything before it can be considered a success. But as a bonus, maybe it doesn’t count as much.
2. We invaded Iraq but good, and we got Saddam. Unfortunately, we might be trying him in secret. Also, the infrastructure is still miserable, we are short of aid money and troops and our soldiers are dying on a daily basis. Not much of a success, and without a success in either Afghanistan or Iraq, our terror threat remains high, and our armed forces stretched too thin to be effective in any more theaters.
3. Syria, while not all roses, has become more of an ally to us under Bashar than under Hafez, and Hafez’s private relationship with the US was always very different than the public one. Rather than try to support him, his reforms, and the aid he offers us, we are basically telling him he is worthless, and no different than the terrorists he’s been keeping from our borders. Great way to ensure homeland security.
4. My favorite line from this piece is “Such talk [of cooperating with Iran] is anathema to hawks like Mr Perle and Mr Frum who urge Washington to shun the mullahs and work for their overthrow in concert with Iranian dissidents.” I’m not sure these great minds understand history at all. Prior to the installation of the Shah, the opposition to the British was composed of mullahs and politicians. To disempower the nationalist movement, we disenfranchised the religious establishment; the Shah’s sense of history focused on pre-Islamic Iran. Khomeini’s revolution was a swing of the pendulum the other way, the reification of the religious establishment. By side-stepping the “mullahs” the neo-con plan will cause a repeat of history. It’s also interesting to note, that President Khatami is a “mullah” as are most members of the dissident movement who are providing intellectual grounding. A side effect of Khomeinism.
5. The country has no economy. All its goods are imported, as are its foods. The only thing North Korea has is the bomb. What good is a blockade going to do? Cause them to sell the bomb on the black market? One of the more original way of increasing our security I can think of. Get the technology to destroy out into the world and hope nothing happens. Of course, the other hope is that China gets involved. Is that really better?
I’m a product of the NY public school system and I got to say, I’ve get a better sense of history than these guys. I will give them credit on one point, we need to call the Saudis out. Are they with us or against us?