What security-related benefits?

Submitted by Aaron (United States), Sep 11, 2005 at 18:44

Saddam Hussein's regime was not a clear and present danger to the United States. His invasion of Kuwait strengthened our ties with that country. His position vis-à-vis Iran was absolutely in the best interests of the United Sates. His position vis-à-vis the Iraqi Shiite majority was also in the best interests of the United States.

The fact that he was an outpost of secularism in a quickly radicalizing world did not make him a good person (he was clearly evil), but he served as a strategic check against the runaway growth of Islamist fundamentalism in the Middle East.

Now that he is gone, Kuwait need not rely on us for protection. Iran is free of its biggest adversary. The Shiites of Iraq are not only attempting to institute sharia law in a once secular country, but are actively cultivating a warm relationship with Iran. At the same time, we are so spread out militarily that we pose no credible deterrent to Iran OR North Korea.

Yes, the world hates us. We upset the balance of power in the Middle East in the worst possible way, and we are spread so thin we are impotent in the face of REAL threats (see nuclear proliferation).

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