kabud, you really need to define “lost”. All the areas you mention merely reverted back to the barbarism they had momentarily peeked out of. I do not see that it is either America’s duty to lend a helping hand to every single barbarian on the planet to help them into democracy or the western way of life, and equally, I do not consider America to have “lost” them if they slide back into their own form of barbarism and proceed with a life of honor killings like they have been doing for millenia.

Really, you *must* allow these citizens of other countries some responsiblity for their own lives and deeds, and not try to guilt-trip America into racing to save everyone, simply because we have not been able to lead Russia and *its* heathens into the light.

Russia is “lost” also, according to your lights, but it will suffer a longer and slower death from alcoholism, low birth rates, and AIDS, I think, no matter how much oil is discovered, nor how many old rusty nukes Putin sells to 4th rate dictators.

We do, of course, have the option of simply killing them all every time a country such as you list is “lost” (whatever that is), but that seems like such a fruitless and pathetic pursuit. We Americans think that simply by being, the rest of the world will look at us and want to be us … that all we have to do is live life, protect our liberty and pursue our happiness and by being a role model, we will convince others to help themselves out of their own quagmires. It just seems so pushy to be expected not to “lose” them, you know?