[Julian]

I'm from Europe but live in New York, and I do feel like it's a little of both. On the one hand, the United States and other politically stable countries have everything to gain by the rest of the world being stable - which means that their good lives will not be disrupted in any way - which I think is perfectly understandable. There are also many whose interests are more economic, i.e. making sure cheap oil keeps coming, regardless of what kind of regime you're supporting, getting constant supply of cheap labor, agreeable trade regulations etc.

On the other hand, many Americans feel so fortunate in life, being that they have food, shelter, stable government, etc., that they feel it's their obligation to help those less fortunate. Life in the West is so good that it's not suprising that those living here would want others to live similarly. I, for example, would love to see women from Middle-Eastern countries be considered equal to men and have the kind of freedom I have. But, would they really want that? Am I making assumptions about what makes people happy? Perhaps yes. But I know how good Western freedom is, and I would really wish that for the rest of the world.

You must also realize that many wars are, paradoxically, fought to prevent war. If for example an area is overrun by guerillas, etc., war may ensue to end the fighting, not exacerbate it. The bombing of Afghanistan killed and devastated many, but don't you think it was necessary? What was the alternative? Have the Taliban remain but have a 'peaceful' country? War is an unfortunate necessity when facing tyranny.

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Name : Julian, Gender : F, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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