I’m not discussing staving off every tin pot dictator, just the ones that present the most imminent danger to involving the U.S. and the world in a much wider and more costly war if they are allowed to continue their aggression.
Scenario: Kuwait was taken over by Saddam, and Saudi Arabia was threatened. This meant control over much of the world’s oil market. Was that tin pot dictator only or one who threatened the world?
What does it matter who controls the oil? If it is not US, it is someone that is an enemy. Name one ally of America that controls the oil in this century.