[enactolaelant]

The Middle East - once the Zionist project got underway - is unstable. Israel/Egypt, Jordan, Syria, have fought several wars, the PMs of Egypt & Israel were assassinated (presumably for not being Islamic or Jewish enough), Mosques, Temples, Churches have all been attacked.

The US & now NATO intervention in Afghanistan & Iraq has not helped. We toppled Saddam in Iraq fairly quickly - but also removed the secret police state - sectarian violence, which had been held in check by the Baathist regime, was released. Afghanistan has been devastated by war against the USSR, civil war, & political violence for decades.

US/NATO & Australian, etc. military presence in Afghan & Iraq gives the Islamic radicals a peg to hang their grievances on. The moderate Muslims do not want our troops on the ground in their country. The longer we are in these countries without any positive effect for the common people - water, sewer, electricity, functioning economies, a reasonable government - the worse is our case for being there, & the more the radicals sound like they might know what they're talking about. We need to cut our losses & pull out of both countries.

We can pursue Al Queda & radical Islamists as a police matter. Boots on the ground in Islamic countries is counterproductive - better to let Islam work out their problems over there - where they won't mistake us for their problem.