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Originally Posted by Lanny_MacDonald
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This should be no surprise and makes perfect sense. It's the same as U.S. foreign policy has always been.
You back whoever is "more" of your current enemy. Sure the Somali warlords killed a two dozen or so soldiers 10 years ago but that's a drop in the bucket compared to what they are losing these days...and what the Warlords want means absolutely nothing to the U.S. Fighting Islamists is more important. You can always bargain with Warlords or give them more land, money, and arms. You can't bargain with radical Islamists who could possibly take over a state that could generate even more radicals and endanger the U.S. It's the same as selling arms to secular Iraq to fight the greater enemy, religiously radical Iran, in the 80s.
The enemy of your enemy is your friend. In hindsight, of course all that is stupid and will come back to bite you as always...but it makes sense for here and now and U.S. foreign policy likes to look in the short term. Leave future problems for future administrations and the greater tax burden on your future grandchildren.