[Always A Marine]

And if doesn't happen soon, but let's say happens in 2-3 years? Anyway. I'll draw you a parallel. After WW1, Germany wasn't supposed to stockpile weapons. But it did. It wasn't a secret that Hitler was building up his war machine all through 1930's. But euros are appeasers and didn't want to bother with war, so they closed their eyes and gave Czheckoslovakia to him. We got WW2 in return, tens of millions died just because we failed to enforce what was agreed on after WW1 - for germany not to build up its arsenal.

You make a good point, but I don't believe the parallel is absolute. To begin with, I wouldn't tout the Versailles Treaty as the paragon of wisdom and virue. The Allies soon regretted their punitive overkill of the Germans at Versailles. At the insistence (and eventual regret) of the French, the economic terms of the armistice which was forced upon Germany were so punitive as to guarantee the collapse and ultimate radicalization of German society. Hitler rose from the ruins of Versailles, filling a vacuum as all dictators do.

The appeasement of Hitler was not so much the tolerance of his military buildup -- the Allies could have crushed his Wehrmacht at any time prior to his conquest of Poland. Rather, as you correctly point out, it occurred when the Allies tolerated his aggression against Czechoslavakia (and Austria). So, comparatively speaking, Saddam Hussein is engaging in a military buildup, but has not strayed beyond his own borders in the past 12 years.

[BrooklynGOP]

You make a good point, but I don't believe the parallel is absolute. To begin with, I wouldn't tout the Versailles Treaty as the paragon of wisdom and virue. The Allies soon regretted their punitive overkill of the Germans at Versailles.

You are missing the point. The point is that we've failed to hold Germany up to the agreement that was made.

At the insistence (and eventual regret) of the French, the economic terms of the armistice which was forced upon Germany were so punitive as to guarantee the collapse and ultimate radicalization of German society. Hitler rose from the ruins of Versailles, filling a vacuum as all dictators do.

That has nothing to do with this particular point/thread.

The appeasement of Hitler was not so much the tolerance of his military buildup -- the Allies could have crushed his Wehrmacht at any time prior to his conquest of Poland. Rather, as you correctly point out, it occurred when the Allies tolerated his aggression against Czechoslavakia (and Austria). So, comparatively speaking, Saddam Hussein is engaging in a military buildup, but has not strayed beyond his own borders in the past 12 years.

Doesn't matter. If Hitler didn't do what he did with Czcheckoslovakia he would've still started WW2.