War started in 1979

Submitted by Paul (United States), Jan 8, 2004 at 01:21

I think that it is imperative to always remember that the current war started in 1979. It has long been recognized by nearly all countries that embassies are soveriegn territory and do not belong to the host country. When our embassy Iran was taken over, it was an invasion. What was required at the time was a counter-attack, not a rescue attempt. When our only military response was a solitary failed attempt to free the "hostages" (really, they were prisoners of war), the message was undeniable and understood throughout the region: Anyone who hated the US was free to take their best shot, because we simply would not fight back. Conversely, any nation which thought that friendship with the US would bring protection was left to assume that if an American president wouldn't send American troops to fight and protect American lives and interests, what chance was there that we would fight to protect anyone else? The net result was that being an enemy of the United States entailed no almost no risk, and being an ally yielded no benefits.

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