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Once a distant, mysterious land, the U.S. has become intensely embroiled in Middle Eastern politics. While simultaneously waging campaigns in both Afghanistan and Iraq, America has turned a wary eye to Iran and its alleged nuclear weapons. With the lives of potentially thousands of soldiers and citizens at stake in both countries, should the U.S. take direct military action against Iran?
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Fight a War of Ideas
Cold War a battle of ideas?
An objective look at history shows that the Cold War was nothing but a series of pragmatic stop-gap measures, a balance-of-power see-saw of shifting alliances. There was no fundamental principle that was fought for. It was not a rational and consistent fight for individual rights and the interests of the US. It was not a battle of ideas.
The very actions taken by US foreign policy to contain communism made the modern Iranian problem possible. How many times did the US shift its support from one country to another, based on nothing other than "will this tick off the Soviets or keep the status quo?"
Why didn't the US attack Iran when it declared war on us, by seizing our embassy and kidnapping our citizens? The answer is because we were paralyzed by pragmatism and altruism, and had abandoned the ideas worth fighting for.
All of this begs the question: What ideas should we fight for?
- C August
August 21, 2008 9:04AM
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Side: Yes
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