Stop being an arse, you know what he means. We don't have to go back 'centuries'.
The west armed the Mujahadeen .........
He said centuries.
So he means a period of time lasting somewhere between 99 and 101 years.
Of course I'm aware of the Mujahadeen etc.
It wasn't the recent history I was disputing. It was the idea that the middle east has been a victim for 100s of years.
They gave as good as they got back when the crusades were still a thing and large parts of land changed hands more than once.
I'm sure you know this.
They like to call us crusaders.
As scotch said, some of them have been fed that victim narrative since birth.
Who benefits from this version of the truth ?
Those countries have a wealth of natural resources, in fact *the* natural resource that the world can't function without.
But a lot of people living there are dirt poor.
They feel a lot of resentment, but this bullshit crusader narrative keeps them angry at us, not their leaders. Is it our fault their leaders are hoarding all those oil dollars ?
Of course you could argue that we have propped up dictators.
But have we ? If the leaders of those countries suddenly started investing in hospitals, roads and schools would we stop buying their oil ?
Of course not.
Whats the alternative to propping up / doing business with a dictator ?
Live without petrol and plastic ( in which case, you first ! ) or change the regime ?
Seems to me that faced with that choice those of us in the west can't win, we'll be the great satan whatever we do.
ISIS and the greedy cunts running those countries benefit from all that 'crusader' bullshit.
We shouldn't be so keen to believe and repeat it.
As I said, it's abhorrent, the whole lot, on both sides.. I certainly know the answer to it is not more bullets and bombs.. 10+ years in Afghan, what did that achieve, a bigger problem from where I'm standing.
Iraq was a 'mistake'
Afghanistan is not quite so black and white, IMO. The locals were suffering under the Taliban.
As for ISIS. I can't see any solution other than a military one. They don't want to negotiate. There is no reasoning with them. They need that land taken from them, its having the caliphate that legitimizes them.
Perhaps we should aspire to a return to the dark ages as well, that'll stop 'em won't it?
Agree.
If I have to pick a side I'll pick the side that sends robots to Mars, not the side that has one book.