This is a subject that I often discuss with my friends up here in Los Angeles, and I am interested to know your opinion, your sitting in the Oval Office, what to do?
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
If you were the President of USA
If you were George W Bush right now, what would you do ( within reason ) in regards to the war in Iraq, the Iranian situation as well as world diplomacy?
This is a subject that I often discuss with my friends up here in Los Angeles, and I am interested to know your opinion, your sitting in the Oval Office, what to do?
This is a subject that I often discuss with my friends up here in Los Angeles, and I am interested to know your opinion, your sitting in the Oval Office, what to do?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Give everybody nukes, let them duke it out. Wait for the smoke to clear, and then make a whole lot of money on the oil that will be a lot easier to see now that all the sand in the middle east has been turned into glass.
In theory that is an interesting prospect, although those nukes could be used against western countries that are within their path and effectivly it would change life as we know it. There has to be a better idea than that.
in a sense, Bush has just done what I would have done, and that is shake up his advisory team and cabinet.
A new Chief of Staff, some new faces in domestic roles, and a better outreach over issues like the economy, which appear to be doing better now.
More good news in Iraq would certainly help.
However, the big issue he is going to have to confront is Iran. Bush, being a conviction-based politician may not care about popularity if he genuinely believes he must act unitarily to disarm Iran of a nuclear weapons capability. That may in fact be a blessing in disguise.
Can't we all just get along....
That's about all I have to say
If Iraq had been more of a cakewalk and less of a myopic circle jerk, then perhaps Iran would be a little more hesitant to raise the heckles of the US. As it stands, I think the bumbling in Iraq has emboldened them no end.
That said, a military solution would be an absolute last resort. Since the Shah was overthrown, the hard-liners have become stronger and have disillusioned a great many of the young Iranians. These are the people the US should be reaching out to, along with the large numbers of highly skilled Iranian ex-pats that would love to return home. A change of leadership from within is a much better outcome.
One common cry from Iran is that Israel has nukes too. I don't think anyone would be naive enough to believe thats not the case, however Israel still will not officially say they do. With Iran funneling cash to Palestine ( one of the remaining few after the recent elections there ) this is another aspect of the situation that requires careful footwork by the US.
Diplomacy is key, and a multilateral policy from moderate mid eastern countries would go a long way. But please, don't send Condi Rice to do the talking. Like it or not, most leaders in this part of the world prefer their woman silent and dressed in black curtains head to toe. Its nothing short of farce to expect them to negotiate with her.
All very good points....
What I'd do is pick up the phone. I'd rally up the support and get more international troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. I would be talking to the leaders of France, Germany, Russia, Canada, Australia, NZ, China, Pakistan, India, Japan, UK, Israel, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Spain and others. I would boost the level of military personal (international) to about 500,000 from the current 132,000? The main focus would be stopping the factions and training the Iraqi military and building it's strength. Showing that the world is interested in getting Iraq on the straight and narrow. If no one gave more support then it would be back to the drawing board.
As for Iran, I'd be working with the same leaders and the UN to come to a multinational agreement as to the best plan shall it be proven that Iran is making nuclear weapons.
If it is proven, the plan will be in place and it will be time to action it if Iran does not stop and prove it has stopped.
To drop a bunker buster in there right now may stop the weapons building, but it may cause a ww3 holy war that will go on for a long time.
I'd also get NZ the free trade agreement and allow NZ's military to start exercising with the US and allies again.....
If I was George Bush, being a religious man, I would ask God. I would not expect God to reply, "Bomb the crazy Islamic fuckers." I would expect to hear, "Resist not evil with evil."
USA and Israel are both very rich countries with enourmous resources. They have a whole world of options open to them to help themselves and others. They just need to be creative and flexible in finding the ways that work to bring peace. They could essentially BUY peace with favourable trade deals, foreign aid and by being friendly instead of paranoid and hostile.
For example, if you move into a dog's territory and it responds with barking, sharp nashing teeth and it looks like it is going to bite you - it's not necessary to shoot the dog. It's necessary to pacify the dog. This won't happen by yelling at it, making demands and pressuring it. What is required is friendliness, sincerity and respect. Then the dog will be your friend.
I guarantee that international relations would immediately improve if Israel and USA treated Palestine and Iran with genuine sincerity and respect, despite what may have been said and done in the past. Hostility just breeds hate and more hostility. Which country will be mature enough to break this cycle? I doubt it will be the US since they have such a big interest in the war industry.
I am deeply cynical about the motives and claimed innocence of people and countries that always manage to find themselves involved in conflict. Israel and USA need to take a good hard look at themselves and get some maturity in their attitude.
Since they are the rich and powerful countries, they should take the initiative in conciliation. THEY HAVE TO LEARN TO DEFEAT ENMITY AND NOT ENEMIES. So far they have failed, failed, failed. And for their failure they will continue to live in fear of attack, cowering in their own homes.
Good point Andrew, but if the dog had rabies and it had bitten a neighbor in the past, then you'd get it some medical attention, or put it down. That seems to be the stage that we are at at the moment. You could give the dog a steak and then hit it with a traquilizer gun to assess the situation?
Until Palestine and Iran stop the call for the destruction of Israel and the west I am not sure that your plan would be implemented?
I would have to agree with rob here. Palestine and Iran calling for the destruction and annihilation of Irael doesn't really make them all that respectable. I beleive that Iran and Palestine will certainly not be the ones to break any cycle of hostility and they are certainly not the more mature parties involved. They will not be pacified until Israel is destroyed, and since they will never accomplish that, the dog will never be pacified. I too would expect God to say "love your enemies". That is exactly what the US is doing. One cannot believe the media portrayal of the Iraq war. Our soldiers are there rebuilding the infrastructure at the same time they are fighting terrorists. For the first time in history, the Iraqi people have had a part in choosing thier leaders. While the US soldiers are not entirely innocent, they are a world away from those who would indiscriminately kill civilians and soldiers alike.
Post a Comment