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- Is the U.S. doing more harm or good in the Middle East?
Let's start with one word or less.
Here we go.
(music with bouncy tones)
America's relationship with the Middle East
is kinda like Drake and Rihanna, it's complicated,
and it takes a lot of
♪ Work, work, work, work, work ♪
After 60 years, five major conflicts,
and more than 300 billion dollars in aid,
is America's presence more harmful or good-ful?
Here's one word to help you think about it.
Mire.
M, measure.
How do we measure good or harm?
Different metrics tell different stories.
For instance, between 2004 and 2010,
America's aid helped life-expectancy in Afghanistan
grow by 20 years.
On the other hand, independent investigations
show that U.S. drone strikes kill more
unintended targets than the U.S. admits.
So which factors should get focus?
One factor you can't ignore is I, Isis.
The U.S. may have underestimated this group
in the beginning, but not anymore.
More than 20,000 Isis fighters
have been killed by airstrikes.
Could that intervention suppress terror?
That leads to our next letter, R.
Rationale.
Security, oil, democracy.
What's the right reason to stay involved?
It's an important question to answer
because America yields enormous influence.
We spend more on our military than the next
seven countries combined.
Saying our military is strong is like saying
shawarma tastes good.
It tastes delicious.
And then comes E, expense,
both in terms of money and and lives.
Since the war in Iraq started,
more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers
and more than 150,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed.
Harm and good, is it possible to have one without the other?
So there you go, M-I-R-E.
It spells out one very important question.
Tell me what you think.
Is the U.S. doing more harm or good in the Middle East?
(music with bouncy tones)
(imitates music)
Okay, hey guys, it's Kousha.
Thank you very much for watching.
Be sure to tell us in the comments what you think.
What do you agree with, what do you disagree with?
What did we leave out?
What did you think about,
what word would you use,
what more can I ask?
And then like and share and subscribe
and I'll see you later.
(beatbox-style vocal impression)