Letters to the Editor
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At least some folks seem to get it-
Despite what appears to be a barrage of "This comic was great because it lambasts that US! The US should quit sticking its nose where it doesn't belong!" posts, at least a few folks are capable of posting something different. The US isn't "imposing" some ridiculous "imperial will" here, it's trying to maintain economic interests in a region that's become naturally self-destructive, for Pete's sake. The US isn't sending troops of people over to the middle east in order to foster punk-style haircuts or make women wear thongs- most US corporations couldn't honestly care less about what the cultures over there do. But we, by and large, do depend on the resources the nations there provide.
We need the middle east, at the very least, until our country can wholly subsist at the same economic level as today, without them.
Which means, we need several things- free economies to foster positive trade (and competition) and political and social stability to ensure the availability of the supply. The cultural mores of the nations aren't an issue, as long as the aforementioned things are intact.
On the other hand, places like Iran and Saudi Arabia, and an ever-expanding segment of Asia, are squandering that resource. The misguided social ambitions of people like Amenijad, coupled with the hundreds of years of chaos sown by the violent opposing sects of Islam (Shia and Sunni) create a horribly unstable environment. Everywhere that these theocracies are dominant, they do several things- get into fights with their neighbors, stifle economic growth, and repress the populace. And then, when their populations begin to starve, the leaders use violence, harsher repression, and the scapegoat of "the west" in order to stay in power.
People that blame the US just don't get it- including, I'm afraid, the author of this comic.