Pax : I agree with you for the most part. Just don't write stuff like "US + IQ = FR + IC" because this is too strong a statement and as I pointed out, the neo-cons just love those nasty shortcuts.
Keep in mind that the US went into Iraq for the oil, they illegally overthrew a govt. by a nonetheless illegal act of war and agression that killed many innocent civilians. Let's not forget the second part, the funniest trickiest one : how Chimp-in-Chief lied to his fellow citizens and to the whole world by giving them phony motives and how that was SO obvious at the time. Personally, I don't think the US are there to restore peace and govt., I think the US' primary goal is to secure future oil production in the hands of US conglomerates. Now the US army is stuck into the muddiest quagmire, and is planning a nice cut & run, but that's their own loss.
As for our influence in Africa : ok, I agree with you on that too, except that personally, I would like someone to explain to me what we really gain from it. Africa today, sad as it may be, is more than irrelevant for the most part, and as you described, only seems to be getting worse every day.
I live and work in French Guiana, a place you probably know if you were in the military. To my humble opinion, FG is expensive to the French taxpayer, useless and rather worthless. We could easily get the hell out and just pay a lease for Kourou. But, we're keeping the place, because it's of high strategic interest. Besides, it puts France on the map in South America, which luckily and incidently pisses off the US. Just like the day the A-400 M takes off.
Keep in mind that the US went into Iraq for the oil, they illegally overthrew a govt. by a nonetheless illegal act of war and agression that killed many innocent civilians. Let's not forget the second part, the funniest trickiest one : how Chimp-in-Chief lied to his fellow citizens and to the whole world by giving them phony motives and how that was SO obvious at the time. Personally, I don't think the US are there to restore peace and govt., I think the US' primary goal is to secure future oil production in the hands of US conglomerates. Now the US army is stuck into the muddiest quagmire, and is planning a nice cut & run, but that's their own loss.
As for our influence in Africa : ok, I agree with you on that too, except that personally, I would like someone to explain to me what we really gain from it. Africa today, sad as it may be, is more than irrelevant for the most part, and as you described, only seems to be getting worse every day.
I live and work in French Guiana, a place you probably know if you were in the military. To my humble opinion, FG is expensive to the French taxpayer, useless and rather worthless. We could easily get the hell out and just pay a lease for Kourou. But, we're keeping the place, because it's of high strategic interest. Besides, it puts France on the map in South America, which luckily and incidently pisses off the US. Just like the day the A-400 M takes off.
CRC