Gratifying to note that every commenter seems to understand that the whole charade is a thinly veiled attempt to exploit the Sunni/Shia rift and radicalize the entire area. Our military and corporations need this in order to continue to exploit the region. They will be happy only once the area is balkanized into micro-states that cannot individually stand up against our various terror campaigns and color revolution subversion schemes.

What would happen if we pulled out everything from the region? Two answers: 1. we would lose money while Russia and/or China would have an easier time of things. 2. Who cares, we do not OWN those people and we do not OWN their tribal history and conflicts. One day we will learn to mind our own business and peace and goodwill will bloom across the globe. Or else we will not and a global cataclysm will inevitably result.

This just shows the insanity of invading sovereign countries, allegedly to pre-emptively “take out” Al-Qaeda.

Using conventional military force against decentralized, shadowy NGO’s is like playing “Whack-a-mole.” Hit one, and three more show up somewhere else.

Al-Qaeda can use almost any nation on earth. The 9-11 attacks were supposedly planned and organized in Berlin. There is no reason further attacks can’t be planned from Yemen, or Oman, or Saudi Arabia, or France, or the Netherlands. Should we invade and conquer and occupy all of them?

Until we address the CAUSE and motivation for 4th generation warfare, we have no chance of ever “winning” this “war.” (Ironic quotes).

The primary cause is foreign occupying armies. This is what terrorists themselves identify as the primary cause. No, it’s not that they “hate us for our freedom.” No, it’s not even the existence of Israel. It’s foreign occupation.

End our foreign occupations, and there is no reason for further terrorist attacks.

It is stunning to observe how the leaders of our country get militarily involved in one middle-eastern civil war after the other: Afghanistan, then Iraq, and now Yemen. One can almost place a bet on where the next military or other aggressive action will occur: chose a country with an ongoing or incipient civil strife: Iran, Somalia, Georgia, Ukraine, Palestine, Obama has plenty of targets to chose from to last him until 2012 if he chooses one country per annum and not all at once which this little US Napoleon is prone to do.

Seriously??? I have to laugh at this one.

Let me make a rough GUESS that there are a couple
hundred al-Quaida in Nova Scotia and that they MAY
ACTUALLY plan for attacks as in Detroit. Now if I were
a provincial leader in Canada, does that mean I get
military money too? After all I’m closer and on
friendlier terms.

Let’s not set a precedence. If you’re going to use
violence to solve this conflict, please neutralize the
handful of people with intelligence and police
forces… it would probably be more effective, anyways.

It might be noted that, as Yemen is having increasing difficulties in combating the Shia uprising in its northern region, we suddenly see them asking for American military aid to combat the threat of AlQaeda, a Sunni group.

Just how stupid are we?

YEMENI OFFICIAL: MORE COUNTERTERRORISM SUPPORT NEEDED
FROM WEST Posted on Dec 29, 2009 by KA

This is a stealth infomercial from the MIC,MILITARY
INDUSTRIAL CONSPIRACY.
I can just see Cheneyburton salivating as it gets
another no bid cost plus contract to build another
military base. And just think of the savings since
shotgun Dick moved their operation to Dubai.
At least the miscreants didn’t sacrifice thousands in
NYC to perpetrate this hoax. Next some warmonger will
be on the cover of Time getting a Nobel peace prize
for humane torturing.

It’s endless: Here’s the substance of a request that might come to us from Yemen any day now:  “We have a couple hundred or so terrorists here in Yemen.  Please send money.  Send military equipment.  Send training for our police.  We cannot afford to train them.  The average pay of nearly 20% of our population is $1.25 per day or less. Our oil supply is rapidly depleting.  Our birthrate is high and our system of education is poor.
  “Since 2004, a civil war is being fought in Northern Yemen between Yemeni forces and Shiite Houthi rebels. In 2009, it spilled over into the neighbouring border region of Saudi Arabia. This conflict is increasingly becoming a danger to regional stability according to news reports by CNN [24] and the BBC [25] as various countries are said to be involved, e.g. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan [26]. The United Nations [27] and UNDP Yemen [28] report about a growing problem of civilians fleeing from the region.” (This paragraph quoted from wikipedia)
“We have only 3 doctors per 10,000 people, and children die from diseases for which vaccines and medicines could be available but are not.  Please send money for training and developing our military sector so we can help you fight terrorism.”
  See any connection between how our “war on terror” feeds our military-industrial complex and answers our unemployment problems, and the “war on terror” abroad enables other countries to get financial support from us for their needs—but only “military needs.” 
  Question: How can this mutually beneficial relationship from one war to the next be unhitched?  Answer: Read “Three Cups of Tea” immediately.

RE: “The United States can do a lot, Britain can do a lot, the European Union can do a lot in that regard,” he said.”

And who is paying for all of this?  I don’t know about Britain and the European Union, but I can say with considerable certainty that the U.S. cannot afford it.