We have seen this region for what it is for a long time.
There is a bunch of what we unfortunately need (oil) right there in said region.
Way back when, our fearless leaders could have thought a little deeper.
Maybe; 'We need to push hard to get away from oil and maybe start into hydrogen fuel and synthetic lubricating oils, (both old ideas),
'We need to address this now (then) because it will take a good while to implement and stabilize'.
Instead, our past leaders chose to keep playing the oil game. Likely simple stupidity, greed, warmongering, conspiracy. Whatever.
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda.
When a country attacks us, we should go in there and lay the smack-down on em.
When a country opresses its people. We should NOt deal with them favorably.
Sanctions, Isolation, .. We should not be giving these crappy governments our money. If a rebellion arises, we give the rebellion the tools - NOt nukes, NOt chems/bio., and NOt our troops! :banghead:
Only reason I can see invading is if some psycho is genociding. Right-F-N-Then, not a freaking decade later! :banghead:
When a country acts like a bully, threatening, spittle flying, we tell 'em to bring it.
We can put our spies in there to keep one-up them.
When we need resources, we buckle down by God and figure it out. What happened to self-sufficiency?
No, no, too simple. It's much more complex than that..
to that I say, BULL****!
By this time we should have been giving the middle-east the finger.
North Korea, China, Iran, Ad Nauseum..likewise.
Ok .. rant off.