[jqm]

"I'm reminded of the current hullabaloo about Boko Haram and the kidnapping of several hundred girls from a school."

Yes. In Nigeria which is what... like the 5'th largest oil exporter in the world? So who funds these problems that then have to be solved by military invasion? I'm always suspicious.

[jebblue]

What ... on earth is your point? That everyone who drives a car is responsible for those poor children? I pray for their safe return.

[PavlovsCat]

I think the point was the when a country gets invaded, its economy and politics tend to get restructured in favour of the invader. I wouldn't go so far to say this proves it was engineered, but I think that was the implication.

[jqm]

Exactly. I don't mean to "prove" nor even "imply". The word used was "suspicious". When these type of problems pop up in resource rich or strategically important locations and it gets a lot of air time on the news and we have to do something because "think of the children!" I am.... suspicious.

[Nrsolis]

We sent the Marines into Haiti to rescue the civilian population after the natural disasters there.

For the life of me, I can't imagine what economic interest we had there.

I know because a good friend ended up killing himself after witnessing the human tragedy there. He was a Marine pilot.

[jqm]

well, let me cynically suggest at least one "economic advantage"...

The government of a country within boat reach of Florida falls apart and people start starving and the exodus towards the shores of America by Haitians reaches epidemic proportions...

But this is just wild speculation. Look... I'm not saying all military adventures by the US are economically driven. But lots of them probably are. I'm naturally suspicious of them at this point and I think with good reason. Besides, I don't care for the massive expense and think it inefficient and generally unnecessary at current levels.

[Nrsolis]

Really?

You're going to stand by that statement? You think America sent the Marines and all of the aid workers there to make sure that we wouldn't get more Haitians in the USA?

Wow. That's probably the MOST racist thing I've seen posted on HN to date.