tonker, there is a thread regarding the helicopter that went down in Syria on another sub forum here. Suggest you take the liveleak clip there for discussion.
Robert, I find your assessment mildly myopic and narrow.
US support to Israel in the 1973 war had a non trivial impact on Israeli success. (It also got the various Arab and OPEC fired up to get that boycott started, and I do remember the gas lines that resulted).
US influence in the Mid East INCREASED after the Camp David accords were signed, and the US began improving ties with Egypt (and sending them both arms and money). Likewise US arms sales to Saudi in the 80's, and connections with a number of the various emirates in the region.
The culmination of this effort was a very fertile ground for putting a local alliance together in 1991.
American decision to go into Iraq (2003) is a sort of influence in a major way, for good and ill. It made a signal difference in what went on in that region for a decade -- for good and ill.
Pulling out of Iraq was a first step toward taking a far less hands on approcah than in the previous 20 or so years. The fiddle farting around in Libya is small change.
Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 17th Oct 2012 at 18:13.