Oh yes, I completely understand the political arguments for needing oil guaranteed at a certain supply and a certain price. Hell, a huge percentage of food production depends on cheap and plentiful oil.
Still, even with good practical reasons: ethically indistinguishable from oppressing those people yourself.
> Right now, it seems more to be in a "let's finish what we started and regroup" state of affairs
I agree that's the spin, I'm not convinced that it's actually true. It's confused by the fairly large effects that a shift to drone based war is having but the number of countries that the United States is unofficially at war (remember declared legal wars? how quaint) with is growing, and growing quickly, rather than shrinking. Actions point to a very different foreign policy than the stated one.
Still, even with good practical reasons: ethically indistinguishable from oppressing those people yourself.
> Right now, it seems more to be in a "let's finish what we started and regroup" state of affairs
I agree that's the spin, I'm not convinced that it's actually true. It's confused by the fairly large effects that a shift to drone based war is having but the number of countries that the United States is unofficially at war (remember declared legal wars? how quaint) with is growing, and growing quickly, rather than shrinking. Actions point to a very different foreign policy than the stated one.