"Freedom and self-worth will soon be our new allies emerging within the Middle East that help our soldiers on the ground."
That presumes societies capable of recognising the value, of "freedom and self-worth" and being willing to endure paying the price to obtain same.
My barometer regarding islam and the arab "cultures" winds up pointing to a big question mark, about this situation.
Clearly Japanese and Germans had societal underpinnings (cultural, economic, religious, etc.) which were the basis for acceptance of democratic, peaceful self-rule.
Islam spawns so much violence and terror, against their own and others, that I'm not overly optimistic.
Are we, the US, willing to spend tens of thousands of lives and billions of wealth? Will we become weary after five or ten years of this process?
We did in Vietnam.
"Are we, the US, willing to spend tens of thousands of lives and billions of wealth? Will we become weary after five or ten years of this process?
"We did in Vietnam."
If we are called to lose "tens of thousands of lives" it will be a no-brainer, and yes the nation will be as one.
The problem with VietNam was, among other things, the endless weekly reports of several hundreds killed in action...week after week. Often with no major objective taken or lost...
We won't be in that position again. It sucks to lose ten or twenty GI's in a week but there's no comparison IMO despite the seditions of the 'craps and their hangers-on.