Foreign policy priorities - Somalia

[HoughMade]

If Obama was undoubtedly a natural born citizen or the law required the President to be a citizen with 30 years of residency, would that make Obama a better President?

Time to let this one go, people.

 

[singlestacksig]

it was good intel this time.

Leader of al-Shabaab killed in Somalia by US strike | Fox News

 

[T.Lex]

We have lots of good intel, all over the world.

Still about priorities.

 

[T.Lex]

Put this here instead of the ebola thread:
U.S., Britain to send troops to help fight Ebola in West Africa - LA Times

The United States and Britain are sending troops and equipment to West Africa to help curb the spread of Ebola, officials said Monday...

I completely understand the motivation to help the ebola stricken countries. But, is this really the best way to use our troops?

 

[IndyGunworks]

Put this here instead of the ebola thread:
U.S., Britain to send troops to help fight Ebola in West Africa - LA Times



I completely understand the motivation to help the ebola stricken countries. But, is this really the best way to use our troops?

Would you like to go in their place for the same pay?

 

[T.Lex]

Would you like to go in their place for the same pay?

Not following you.

Would I like to go? No. I don't have any vacations planned to West Africa.

Do I think it is fair to comment on this administration's foreign policy prioritization even though I don't plan to go? Yes. Free society of free thinkers is a good thing.

 

[Denny347]

Put this here instead of the ebola thread:
U.S., Britain to send troops to help fight Ebola in West Africa - LA Times



I completely understand the motivation to help the ebola stricken countries. But, is this really the best way to use our troops?

How many troops? Maybe these are the units who specialize in this stuff. They are there to help save lives, is there a more noble cause?

 

[IndyGunworks]

Not following you.

Would I like to go? No. I don't have any vacations planned to West Africa.

Do I think it is fair to comment on this administration's foreign policy prioritization even though I don't plan to go? Yes. Free society of free thinkers is a good thing.

It sounded like your isn't wasn't with the gov't sending people, it sounded like you had an issue specifically with troops being sent.

 

[T.Lex]

How many troops? Maybe these are the units who specialize in this stuff. They are there to help save lives, is there a more noble cause?

Cool, we can turn to a philosophical discussion of the taxonomy of causes? I'm game.

I think saving lives is noble, but perhaps not the most noble. If we committed our troops to noble causes, we'd be spread pretty darn thin. Plus, our boots on the ground could probably save more lives in the Ukraine or Syria/Iraq, if that was the litmus test.

In foreign policy, "noble" is about as useful as "good." And at least we can define "good." Good is what serves the interests of the United States of America. Maybe Somalia and West Africa do serve our interests. I just happen to think there are other places that are "good"er to send our troops. I'm up for a debate about that, though.

It sounded like your isn't wasn't with the gov't sending people, it sounded like you had an issue specifically with troops being sent.

Well, my issue is with troops being sent there, now. Kinda like running a business. You have "needs" and you have "wants." If you have your needs covered, you can move over to your wants. I don't think we have our needs covered, from a foreign policy perspective. (Well, not from a domestic perspective either, but that's probably better left to another thread.)

In terms of health professionals, if we want to mobilize those kinds of people to go over there - great. There is an extensive system of medical volunteer agencies that are doing pretty well, overall, so far. I don't know if we need to get military medical people involved - maybe we do. I'm open to being persuaded on that.

One exception might be Nigeria. If we're going there, they kinda have a civil war going on. We'll need shooters there. (And not the INGO Banned Band.)

 

[Thor]

Whether the cause is 'good' or not will make little difference as this is another corner of the globe awash in tribalism and all that it entails. Nothing we do there will last. As I said to a friend of mine in USAFE, AFRICOM has got to be one sweet deal...I'm glad I had my career when I did.

 

[IndyGunworks]

whats the inscription on your avatar w/ the musket and powder horn say?

 

[Thor]

That is the monument to Capt Parker on Lexington Green. It has on it his orders to his men that morning as the British soldiers were coming to seize their weapons, "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here." April 19, 1775, and so it did...

 

[T.Lex]

A wee bit of thread necromancy.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-49879607

Al-Shabab attacks a US special forces installation.

 

[BugI02]

Sounds like increased airstrikes have hit a nerve, eh?

 

[Thor]

Like many of our opponents the couldn't even take down a training base. If we actually focused our attention on them, like Sauron's eye, they would wilt in the gaze.

When the Vietcong tried to take out an armor training base with IRK 80 BMPs the M48's proved that both their armor and their 90mm guns with training ammo were completely up to the task of killing them all.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Attacked a Special Forces installation. That’s dumb, those are really bad dudes.

 

[T.Lex]

Maybe they misunderstood "training" - thought the SF dudes were n00bs getting trained.

Still wondering about the (apparent) continuation of Obama's foreign policy in the area. But, keeping a multi-front war on Daesh has been successful, so maybe this wasn't such a bad idea by Obama.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Maybe they misunderstood "training" - thought the SF dudes were n00bs getting trained.

Still wondering about the (apparent) continuation of Obama's foreign policy in the area. But, keeping a multi-front war on Daesh has been successful, so maybe this wasn't such a bad idea by Obama.

Even a noob SF guy is action you want no part of.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

I'm not much in favor of boots on the ground anywhere.
But when I think of the whole blackhawk down thing,
When I think of them dancing in the streets as the towers fell,
Bomb the hell out of them.

 

[Thor]

I'm not much in favor of boots on the ground anywhere.
But when I think of the whole blackhawk down thing,
When I think of them dancing in the streets as the towers fell,
Bomb the hell out of them.

Yeah, much like the PLO and other P lunatic organizations any crowd seems to be a fine place for cluster munitions utilization. See a crowd of them dancing in the streets with their kids dressed as suicide bombers? Take them all out now.