4 ms·

It’s also hard at this point to remember the sympathy that poured in from around the world. The US got a free pass to do nearly anything in the days following 9

by wrs 8y ago

It’s also hard at this point to remember the sympathy that poured in from around the world. The US got a free pass to do nearly anything in the days following 9/11. Instead of doing something useful with that leverage, we betrayed that global support by doing something monumentally stupid and irrelevant, invading Iraq — made even more stupid by having no realistic plan for the aftermath. All of which was probably according to plan (or even better than expected) as far as Bin Laden was concerned.

bla2 8y ago
I was in continental Europe at the time and the sentiment here was "they're going to do something stupid" and far from a free pass.
- wrs 8y ago
  What I mean is, if the US had decided to do something that seemed sensible, even if it was outside the usual bounds of behavior, I think most people would have looked the other way. Indeed, we did do something stupid, but we did even that with a coalition of other countries. More importantly, I like to think other countries would have signed on to something constructive quickly as well. Wasted opportunity.
  - consumer451 8y ago
    > More importantly, I like to think other countries would have signed on to something constructive quickly as well. Wasted opportunity. Personal anecdote: I was in a tiny town in Portugal during 9/11. In the following days, I read all of the available papers and saw that even China was ready to share intel with the USA. Random Portuguese people offered me a place to stay while my country was "a war zone." The outpouring of global support was unprecedented. Meanwhile, I called my younger brother who was normally well informed, was attending a very liberal university, and yet was worried about ME! All he knew about was all of "the anti-American sentiment" around the world. That was the day I truly understood the power of the reactionary idiocy of US media. The USA could have used 9/11 to really start A New American Century, but the morons in charge were truly just morons. They were all part of a think tank named The Project for a New American Century, yet they let that opportunity pass them by. This was the moment that I understood the idiocy of neo-cons. When future historians analyze the end of the American era, this will truly be the turning point. Note: I have been careful to avoid being political on HN, but this topic deserves no less. I will never forget.
ilaksh 8y ago
Look at the think tank documents. The invasions _were_ useful to America and America's friends. They had been planned for years as part of ongoing campaigns that go back tens if not hundreds of years if you consider the historical lineage of the American empire going all the way back to the Crusades. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.globalresearch.ca/we-re-going-to-take-out-7-countries-in-5-years-iraq-syria-lebanon-libya-somalia-sudan-iran/5166/amp https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.globalresearch.ca/we-re-goi...

by wrs 8y ago

bla2 8y ago

I was in continental Europe at the time and the sentiment here was "they're going to do something stupid" and far from a free pass.

wrs 8y ago
What I mean is, if the US had decided to do something that seemed sensible, even if it was outside the usual bounds of behavior, I think most people would have looked the other way. Indeed, we did do something stupid, but we did even that with a coalition of other countries. More importantly, I like to think other countries would have signed on to something constructive quickly as well. Wasted opportunity.
- consumer451 8y ago
  > More importantly, I like to think other countries would have signed on to something constructive quickly as well. Wasted opportunity. Personal anecdote: I was in a tiny town in Portugal during 9/11. In the following days, I read all of the available papers and saw that even China was ready to share intel with the USA. Random Portuguese people offered me a place to stay while my country was "a war zone." The outpouring of global support was unprecedented. Meanwhile, I called my younger brother who was normally well informed, was attending a very liberal university, and yet was worried about ME! All he knew about was all of "the anti-American sentiment" around the world. That was the day I truly understood the power of the reactionary idiocy of US media. The USA could have used 9/11 to really start A New American Century, but the morons in charge were truly just morons. They were all part of a think tank named The Project for a New American Century, yet they let that opportunity pass them by. This was the moment that I understood the idiocy of neo-cons. When future historians analyze the end of the American era, this will truly be the turning point. Note: I have been careful to avoid being political on HN, but this topic deserves no less. I will never forget.

ilaksh 8y ago

Look at the think tank documents. The invasions _were_ useful to America and America's friends. They had been planned for years as part of ongoing campaigns that go back tens if not hundreds of years if you consider the historical lineage of the American empire going all the way back to the Crusades. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.globalresearch.ca/we-re-going-to-take-out-7-countries-in-5-years-iraq-syria-lebanon-libya-somalia-sudan-iran/5166/amp https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.globalresearch.ca/we-re-goi...