Probably not. The proxies supported by Iran in other countries will not fare as well. They are toast. The US military is quickly eliminating anyone who was directly involved with the fatal attack on a US base. We’ve seen air strikes and drone strikes. There’s probably some very clandestine wet work happening on the ground too. That won’t make the news -at least the details certainly won’t.
The US really really really does not want to get into a land war with Iran. It’s a populous and mountainous country. It would make the Iraq invasion look like a Boy Scout outing. Also, Iran really really really does not want a direct war with the US.
The US would not have to invade Iran or even bomb the interior to cause major economic problems. Just look at the Port of Kharg Island Oil Terminal. It’s the main oil export hub of Iran and it’s a very exposed target. Knocking that out would kill the country’s main source of export income. The US knows this. Iran certainly does too.
My guess is that in the long run Iran will lessen its support for terrorist groups. It would not surprise me to see the US eventually closing a bunch of bases. I bet most people didn’t even know we still have bases in that part of the world.
Of course, the US doesn’t have to be involved for the region to have major conflicts. It’s not always about us.
-Sixbears
Quite a mouthful my friend:
ReplyDeleteSnip There are roughly 750 US foreign military bases; they are spread across 80 nations! After the U.S is the UK, but they only have 145 bases. Russia has about 3 dozen bases, and China just five. This implies that the U.S has three times as many bases as all other countries combined. Quite astonishing if you ask us.
Pity we cannot follow the leadership of our founding fathers.
We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.
Thomas Jefferson
Or as Geroge Washingtons farewell address: Snip:
The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none; or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.
He as well as many of the other founding fathers saw standing outside of Europe's constant bickering and fighting was how our Republic should stand.
We punished the Barbary Pirates; we didn't place bases there and force "Democracy" on them. We did our punishment and left them alone.
Maybe if we spend half as much on the Department of Defense and more on taking care of our own problems, we'd have more civilization and less Philidelphia, NYC and Chicago the dens of street violence and drug abuse.
The US is quickly coming to a point where it doesn't need to be the world policeman. Most of our resources are or can be gotten in North America. Mexico just past China as our biggest trading partner.
DeleteThe only one I've really heard advocating for war with Iran is John Bolton, who has been using his most recent book-flogging tour to do so.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think Bolton should have been locked up years ago.
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