Are we safer?

[Onceler]

Have Iraq & Afghanistan made us safer from terrorism? Will they?

Would anyone be able to make an argument that, with $1 trillion to spend, choosing to spend it on war is money better spent for our national security than in other areas like covert ops, intel & border security?

 

[uscitizen]

Bush and about 1/3 of America says it has made us safer so it must have.

 

[Cancel 2016.2]

Have Iraq & Afghanistan made us safer from terrorism? Will they?

Would anyone be able to make an argument that, with $1 trillion to spend, choosing to spend it on war is money better spent for our national security than in other areas like covert ops, intel & border security?

Tough question. I think we are safer because of 9/11. Would anyone here sit back while on a plane that was hijacked assuming that things would work out? Probably not.

But did the wars themselves make us safer. I would say because of the way they were initially run... no. Initially they probably made things worse as they were run in a shotgun approach with little regard for any outcome other than the rosie one they had envisioned.

Can that change? I think it can. I think Al Queda's brutality in Iraq has helped calm some of the animosity towards the US, but that will not go away completely until our troops pull out and end the perception of occupation.

In Afghanistan... we have to ensure that the Taliban do not retake control of the country.

As for the "what if" of could we have spent the money in different ways that would have been better.... I assume that is rhetorical, but will answer the obvious... of course it could have been better spent.

 

[tinfoil]

Have Iraq & Afghanistan made us safer from terrorism? Will they?

Would anyone be able to make an argument that, with $1 trillion to spend, choosing to spend it on war is money better spent for our national security than in other areas like covert ops, intel & border security?

It would be better spent building climate models.

 

[Onceler]

"As for the "what if" of could we have spent the money in different ways that would have been better.... I assume that is rhetorical, but will answer the obvious... of course it could have been better spent."

It's more of a philisophical question. Are there people who still think that the wars we are engaging in will ultimately transform the Middle East, making it less of a haven for terrorists and more friendly to America? If so, an argument could be made that - even with all of the botched execution - it might ultimately make us safer than more reactive measures, like building up border security & beefing up intel.

I am not of that school of thought. Could it work out that way? Stranger things have happened. Based on everything I've seen, though, I think we've done little more than inspire a new generation of terrorists and create an even more unsafe climate for America in the upcoming decades. I think Iraq will end up with a somewhat corrupt government that will do little to inspire the countries around it, and will end up "supporting terrorism" as much as Saddam did (which is to say, not much, but not much difference after all the effort).

 

[uscitizen]

Tough question. I think we are safer because of 9/11. Would anyone here sit back while on a plane that was hijacked assuming that things would work out? Probably not.

But did the wars themselves make us safer. I would say because of the way they were initially run... no. Initially they probably made things worse as they were run in a shotgun approach with little regard for any outcome other than the rosie one they had envisioned.

Can that change? I think it can. I think Al Queda's brutality in Iraq has helped calm some of the animosity towards the US, but that will not go away completely until our troops pull out and end the perception of occupation.

In Afghanistan... we have to ensure that the Taliban do not retake control of the country.

As for the "what if" of could we have spent the money in different ways that would have been better.... I assume that is rhetorical, but will answer the obvious... of course it could have been better spent.

Yeah well that di not work out too well for the passengers now did it ?
And we have at least one bullet hole in a plane as a result of our fixes. so far.

I would not call this a perfect soloution.