Getting Involved

Here is the scenario:

A group of freedom fighters succeeds in opposing the ruling regime, and a small skirmish blossoms into full-blown war between the existent government and the rebels.  The government fields a great army against their own citizens, and bloodshed is heavy on both sides.  Early on, the rebels are successful, and it appears they may have a chance.  But, there’s a point at which the tide turns, and government forces finally end up vanquishing the rebels, after which the government treats the rebels worse than any foreign enemy they’d ever faced, in a move that can conceivably result in decades of economic strife.

Now, say you’re a country foreign to the conflict, and you can “make a real difference” by opposing the ruling regime and assisting the rebels in the name of freedom.  You have no real national interest, yet you’re strong enough as a country to affect the outcome.  Should you get involved?  In such a case, the rebels might have won, and the country would be different.

The conflict I’m speaking of began in 1860 and resulted in the U.S. Civil War.

Now, tell me again why we’re involved in Libya, and why we’re contemplating getting involved in Syria?  Our only national interests is oil, and we have our own resources that our current President won’t let us access!

No wonder 60+% of the American People think we’re on the wrong track — we are!