Quote Originally Posted by Breukelen advocaat
I say let them nuke each other. Give Israel a six month timeline to evacuate, a place (such as the Falklands) to relocate, and then we abandon the whole Middle East. We'd have to use oil reserves and other energy sources for a while, but the end result would be worth it.
While the middle east, mainly opec, has been a thorn in the side of the US, it is not nearly the zero sum game many believe. The ME exports petro dollars for real currency. In doing so, they are able to import US goods and services with the dollars/euros/yen/pounds received via exporting crude.

Being that oil is by far the most utilized commodity, they have plenty of money to purchase US goods and services. The vanquish of these people goes against our self interest. Imagine how hard it would be to live without 58% of the worlds oil production. The costs associated with rebuilding crude production would most likely eclipse money currently spent stabilizing the area.

It could take 50 years to clean up radioactive oil reserves.

Stability > Chaotic change