To his credit, Robert Robb in his editorials has consistently called for America's withdrawal from the quagmire of Middle East politics. Not an easy task. America is already up to its neck and has been ever since large deposits of oil were discovered there. Before that, the British meddled, creating nation states, which often ignored demographic, religious and cultural lines. Their aim was to divide and rule. They deliberately encouraged Wahhabism and were the architects of modern day Saudi Arabia, thinking that by turning Shiite against Sunni they could dominate, a political practice they used worldwide. The Balfour declaration was a mistake but led to the founding of Israel. Jews, Christians and Muslims have lived in the area for over two thousand years, more often than not peacefully. All the religions are rooted in the Abramaic tradition. Peaceful co-existence is not impossible.

The US, having got rid of the democratic secular government of Iran is favor of a despot, the Shah, to whom they could sell millions of dollars of arms, has continued to take sides. It should be remembered that Iranians didn't bring down the twin towers. Squeezing the Iranians into a corner with economic sanctions and making their people suffer just makes change so much more difficult. Iranian meddling has to be stopped. Murderers and leaders sanctioning chemical warfare have to be brought to justice. Nor will bombing civilian populations solve the region's problems. Just look at Aleppo. Threatening nuclear annihilation is just as absurd.

Our own situation is also difficult. Our present arms industry is heavily dependent on Middle East arms sales. Thanks to previous administrations, we are less dependent on Middle East oil. So the situation is complex and requires diplomacy and understanding and knowledge of the area. As the most powerful country in the world, which believes in democratic principles and has the military might to defend them, we should be encouraging dialogue not fomenting anger. We need peacemakers not warmongers and we cannot bring peace without dialogue. To walk away from the mess that we have helped to create may sound good but it's not responsible and could well create fertile ground for a new ISIS fueled by hopelessness, bitterness, poverty and persecution. God knows we have enough other problems, which require our attention.