A little bit of politics

September 29, 2011

I think it’s a good time for me to introduce the discussion of American presence in the Middle East. In the case of an invasion by any country, I think that there are times in which it is necessary, and times in which it is foolish. I tend to side with the positions of the victims… what can I say? I have been raised to be compassionate. And just the same, I will ALWAYS stand by the troops, whether or not I stand by the reason behind a decision. They are men and women doing their job, and it is not their own decision (beyond initial enlistment, of course) to put themselves in danger’s way. Whatever your views of the two wars the U.S is currently fighting, I think I can safely say that our leaders need to show a great deal more discernment in how they decide to interfere in international matters.

We have watched revolution after revolution in the Middle East throughout the last six months, and they are sure to continue. It’s the prerogative of the people in those countries to have the type of government they want. I don’t think it’s our place to interfere. If we were going to pick a place to drop ourselves for the sake of “justice” and “human rights”, we should protecting the people of Burma; the people of Sudan; the children of Uganda. We should be protecting the people who have no part in the politics, and have found themselves in the middle of a nightmare. Wars are not pretty. Revolutions aren’t either. I have Syrian friends who want Syria to be able to handle their own business, without the interference of any other countries. They’ve voiced to me that they hope America stays out of it, and I tend to agree.

Now from the opposite perspective, I had the opportunity to talk to a Pakistani man last week while I was in his taxi. He has worked here for nearly a decade, and his wife and children remain in Pakistan. He sends money home for them, but doesn’t make nearly enough to bring them to Abu Dhabi to safety. We weren’t talking at first but he was listening to a news station, so I asked him what was in the news. He was listening to a news report from Washington DC, specific to the Middle East. He told me that his town is close to the Afghan-Pakistan border, and that it’s very dangerous because of the presence of the Taliban. He said he wished America would send soldiers to help protect his family and neighbors. His own country doesn’t.

He asked me why Americans have gone other places to help, but not to Pakistan. I had no answer for him, and it hurt.

Why do we insist on interfering where we are not wanted, and ignoring the people who could truly benefit from some protection?

I’ve always felt this way, but it is a much closer reality to me lately than it has been before.