The way the United States deals with the Middle East.

[Angry Irishman]

My time spent in Afghanistan it was made clear to me that the problem with these nations is largely to do with literacy.

Imagine for a second that you knew ONLY what others told you. Imagine now that they too are illiterate and are unable to think critically about what they are being told because they have no other frame of reference.

It is the blind leading the blind. Those that CAN read crave only power over those that cannot. Something like 1 in 14 Afghan Army members can read and those guys are usually put into power almost immediately.

This....in fact, some of the Afghan populous we ran across didn't even know they were Afghan. it was just their village and goats; their life.

 

[MovingTarget]

Americas involvement in the Middle East only serves as fodder to those rallying against us. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you don't fight propaganda (terrorism) with weapons, you fight it with conflicting/competing propaganda.

This. Our mere presence, regardless of any potential propaganda put out by our side, is enough to rally the locals against us. We shouldn't be dealing with the Middle East militarily. Non-petroleum trade, diplomacy, tourism, cultural exchange, etc...sure. We can't lose with those interactions.

I fear that what needs to happen is a complete erasure and redrawing of the national boarders by the people of the region. This will be a long and bloody process, but it is the ultimate fruit of the British (primarily) and other allied powers setting those up in the first place after "The War to End All Wars". I wish I could see a way to avoid that, but I simply do not.