Cool, the laymen's argument. So, in order to achieve the greater good, you must make the people of Iraq flee their own country and make them homeless while encouraging violence.
I'm sorry but Pax Americana won't work "for the long term". Many have tried, none have suceeded.
You know what quells extremism? Not force, but fixing poverty. Doesn't matter what type of extremism. Refer to the period of the German Republic from 1924-1929, comparing it to the periods before and after. You know why the Kumpfbund did the Beer Hall Putsch? Because they knew that the coming prosperity would completely kill of political extremism. And it did. What happened when that economic prosperity was snatched away? People turned to the extremists. People won't care enough to turn to extremism if they are content which is usually materialistic. We are human afterall.
However, some people aren't too bright so they continue a violent method of trying to "fix" the world.
Do you know what international conflict is?