A very good point wayne... and I totally agree with you. It is like East Timor from 99 and still present day. People got upset because the PM wouldn't send troops in to sort out civil unrest, bloodshed and so forth that went on until East Timor itself actually asked for help. I think it was a good move on his part, even though thousands where masacred, it is not our responsibility in this region to go and sort out others problems, especially if we haven't been asked. Sure, if a country asks for help, for troops to come in and restore order, but do that and get out, not hang around; or hand things over to the UN near immediately, and if the UN don't want involvment, then that is a good sign that the country should not be their any longer either, order restored now get out and go home. Same problem happened here, people jumped up and down for so many deployments to send troops in, but because of the sheer time it takes to not only restore order, but allow a country to stabalize, most civilians don't understand the consequences of deploying a military force, they think their police that can fight a war or something, not understanding that when you deploy a military into anything, it means total control, total shutdown of everything and anything to ensure that military control the environment, so that it can stabilize, but then what do you do when a country doesn't want you their anymore... you pull out as we did with East Timor, then 12 months later troops were back in their, because they couldn't maintain law and order, stability. They whinge, they piss and moan, then they cry for help. The same with Australian civilians, piss and moan that the military isn't helping some other country, then when they are and the costs start adding up, or someone dies, they piss and moan wanting troops home. Screwed if you do, screwed if you don't. I think the US issue was not based on actual law and order issues though, but instead they invaded a country, and where not asked. That is an act of war, and a mighty big one at that. I guess that is why its such a contentious issue surrounding Iraq??? The political US bullshit their population into approving an invasion because of terrorism, yet years later admit blatantly to the same public that terrorism had nothing to do with it, and the very people they used as an excuse to invade a country are not the one's at fault for the terrorist activity. What, do they think the public just forgot? Do they think their public changed?
I was reading the business section of The Age newspaper today, reading that China will now become the new political power of the world, because America has lost it, they are 30 trillian dollars (some ridiculous amount) in foreign debt because of political stupidity. The US political structure have bankrupt their own country... hell, this is why the US has now made the third world adoption list, trying to shift abandoned children out of their own country because they can't maintain them, because the US is pretty much broke as a nation now. China is now earmarked to officially become the new political world power this year, as they are thriving, and have the population to boot. The US need to spend a decade staying in their own country, sorting their own country out, getting rid of a lot of this debt, fixing all the issues within the US, then maybe they will stand a chance later on at taking some control within the world again, because they are just about to lose it all this year from their own political stupidity.
I believe I saw on TV that Hiliary Clinton is running for president. I personally think the US needs a strong female to do that job for two terms, to get the country back on track and out of the thinking that war is good. Focus on the people, build stability within once again...
