USAFPilot, we're talking a totally different ball game here.
Firstly these societies are islamic in the first place and we've been seeing a growth in funamentalist and conservative Islam since the 1970s. Their value sets are far closer to those of the jihadis than secular western liberal democracies.
Even when more secular government exists, Islamic conventions are not so easily overrulled. Eg The Jordanian King failed miserably at banning honour kilings because society opposed such bans or in Pakistan where despite such killings being illegal, they are still conducted en masse and enforcement og the laws is minimal.
Second of all, when given a choice to vote, many in these parts of the world vote Islamic – look at Turkey, Egypt (before coup) and increasingly even such former moderate countries as Indonesia and Malaysia. Even in Tunisia there is an uneasy accord with islamists.
So why not let them have their Islam? Why not let them figure it out on their own?
The jihadis aren't Nazis, they're not leading invasions forces. The Taliban are the locals, not the Americans.
And if you want to stop rise of Islam, take out Saudi Arabia and UAE and Qatar. Oh wait the west likes their money and their oil.
If we're going to compare it to WWII the war on Islamic terror has been the equivalent of waging war on Slovakia and Croatia for being pro-Germany whilst ignoring Hitler's Germany and supplying him with weapons and helping him quash descent.
Indeed look at Saudi intervention in Yemen – that's the equivalent of west supporting Nazi Germany!
So let's not pretend we care about Isis or Taliban or AQIM or whatever. We don't. The west let Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia grow ISIS until it got out of control and then western media helped embroil the west in another war.
You want to stop Islamic terrorism, introduce more restrictive immigration policies and better policing and social engagement with previous Islamic immigrants in western countries. Problem solved.
---
As for WWII west didn't really want to stop tyranny or support freedom or any of that other mumbo jumbo. After all they did pay the USSR with half of Europe including Poland which UK and France had started WWII over in the first place! We then supported dictatorships and even toppled democratic regimes ala Chile in the name of freedom and democracy.
As for murderers, let's not forget your sanctions killed up to half a million Iraqis in the 1990s. More than one way to skin a cat. And shall we really go into the mess of Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia? Or if we're looking at Africa endemic torture and extra judicial killings by the French in Algeria? Or more recently turning Libya into a hell hole and actually allowing jihadis to thrive in North Africa?
As Major General Smedley D. Butler once said: "war is a racket"
thinks Mark's work is among the best available for all-around gaming and painting.
