Why do so many people think that the USA should be allowed to meddle in the affairs of other nations? Who cares if South America gets another dictator? Or Iraq takes over Kuwait? Why should we care about what happens in the Middle East? Let them do their thing and we will do ours. We are not the worlds police. But it seems the current administration and the leading candidates think we are.
If we want to nationbuild then lets nation build. Africa, South East Asia, and some parts of Central and South America can use our help. I believe Iraq had a nation before we came and it seemed to work.
A brief excursion in history:
We need oil to survive. Certain despots in the Middle East are willing to sell it to us at "reasonable prices" and use dollars in their oil deals, so long as we keep them in power, even when the dollar is dropping. We made that deal back when Reagan was fighting the Cold War and asked them to drop the price to bankrupt the USSR which chiefly counted on oil and gas exports to gain western currency. They did and Reagan won the Cold War by a bankrupting arms race with the USSR.
Then Saddam decided to mess with the status quo by invading Quweit. The local dictators got scared, chiefly Saudi Arabia, so they let us station more troops and use them as a local base to oust Saddam and restore the status quo. Some said we should also depose him, but Bush Senior judged correctly that the local despots would withdraw their support then. So we let him fester until he decided to switch away from petrodollars, which would break the deal above. So he had to be smacked down as an example, even though he had nothing to do with Al Qaida. Now the he was deposed, Iraq has to be rebuilt to an agreeable state with limited democracy and pro-western stance.
Why do we have to do all this? Because our civilization and standard of living are extremely dependent on oil, and will likely remain so for the near future. Also, our currency is largely propped by its use for oil deals, so we have become hostages to fat dictators in the middle east.
The solution? Alternative energy sources, chiefly nuclear and eventually fusion, while trimming down the military spending, the ludicrous porkbarrel for old farts, political entitlements, etc., as well as increasing productivity through technology and a cultural change, until both the budget and the trade deficit are in control. But, so long as babyboomers can vote, that aint gonna happen. And that is why we are collectively screwed.
So, study hard, get smart, start a good business or a career, earn well, and prepare for the inevitable "adjustment".
And when the adjustment comes, that cold painful feeling in your colon will be Riley's finger rummaging for his social security, medicare, and medicaid checks. Enjoy!