RAF target IS in Syria

[mirth]

Not a bad idea, but it's not going to happen.

[LongBlade]

Not a bad idea, but it's not going to happen.

Not under this president.

Unless I'm mistaken, history is going to judge him rather harshly. He's already demonstrated he is worse than Carter. I think he's targeting rock bottom last place and attempting to set the bar so low that it cannot be surpassed.

[mirth]

I don't think it's going to happy under a Republican administration either. What organization would lead an intervention? The UN? NATO? Nope and nope again. And we're not going to do it unilaterally.

[LongBlade]

I don't think it's going to happy under a Republican administration either. What organization would lead an intervention? The UN? NATO? Nope and nope again. And we're not going to do it unilaterally.

I'm not sure I agree. I believe that if the US made a concerted diplomatic push to rally Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and maybe Turkey that would couldn't gain their support to pledge troops to the effort.

I'm not sure if we only pledged to be 10% of that force that we'd get any traction, but I think it would work.

[bayonetbrant]

Watched an interview with Lindsey Graham, a GOP contender. (If you asked "who?" you were justified. His poll numbers have him hovering around 1% support.)

Well, I know who he is, but that's b/c I used to live in SC and I've actually met him.
:)

Nice guy, with occasionally loopy ideas

[LongBlade]

Watched an interview with Lindsey Graham, a GOP contender. (If you asked "who?" you were justified. His poll numbers have him hovering around 1% support.)

Well, I know who he is, but that's b/c I used to live in SC and I've actually met him.
:)

Nice guy, with occasionally loopy ideas

Yeah, I know who is is, too. Because I watch the news - and don't fall asleep during it.

Never thought he stood a chance running for Pres. Couldn't figure out why he tossed his hat in the ring, but that's his problem, not mine.

[Nefaro]

It mainly seems to be one community (the elephant in the room) that always seems attracted to jihadi terrorism. I don't think that would be so commonplace if there was not tacit approval, if not actual encouragement. Am I being unreasonable in questioning that?

Nope, not unreasonable.

It's endemic with that religion, worldwide.  Has been for a very long time.  Poll results regarding Jihadi support in Islamic countries show it to be widely supported by the general populace.  Even having been openly supported by a slight majority in some places, at certain times, despite many of those countries having some level of gov't crackdown on same (likely resulting in a neutral response more often which, in the case of supporting murderous jihadis is a bit self explanatory as to the interpretation of the neutral response).   

[Grimnirsson]

Let's see if Putin can bring some oomph into this situation...he seems the only one able and willing to actually do something against the IS. Russian Spetsnaz troops are already in Syria it is said...

[Boggit]

Let's see if Putin can bring some oomph into this situation...he seems the only one able and willing to actually do something against the IS. Russian Spetsnaz troops are already in Syria it is said...

The enemy of our enemy is our friend...
But there are still things that are unresolved...
If he will leave Ukraine alone...
A Russian resolve in Syria may cut IS to the bone...
But where will it end...

[Grimnirsson]

Personally I don't care how and by whom IS is destroyed and what will follow so long as it is destroyed completely and hopefully with the same brutal force that these fanatics show in their videos. Russian troops might be able to do exactly that. The IS is not only killing people, sending millions of refugees over to Europe but as we have seen recently again in Palmyra they are going to destroy the cultural heritage of mankind piece by piece. Blowing up such archaeological sites is unforgivable and we can not bring them back and we depend on them to remember who we are and where we come from. This has to stop but nobody seems to have the balls to stop them. The whole world with all their military power sits there paralyzed because of some rampaging religious fanatics...I mean WTF?

[LongBlade]

Let's see if Putin can bring some oomph into this situation...he seems the only one able and willing to actually do something against the IS. Russian Spetsnaz troops are already in Syria it is said...

That base was placed there in case the West decided to get frisky and knock off Assad. Can't have NATO shooting too many Ruskies guarding Assad's palace, now can we?  ::)

[Boggit]

Personally I don't care how and by whom IS is destroyed and what will follow so long as it is destroyed completely and hopefully with the same brutal force that these fanatics show in their videos. Russian troops might be able to do exactly that. The IS is not only killing people, sending millions of refugees over to Europe but as we have seen recently again in Palmyra they are going to destroy the cultural heritage of mankind piece by piece. Blowing up such archaeological sites is unforgivable and we can not bring them back and we depend on them to remember who we are and where we come from. This has to stop but nobody seems to have the balls to stop them. The whole world with all their military power sits there paralyzed because of some rampaging religious fanatics...I mean WTF?

I share your concern, but the doctrines governing IS are nothing new. All it is doing is following the principles shown by Mohammed, and his political successors Abu Bakr, and Khalid ibn al Walid.

Child marriage for 9 year old girls is legitimate under IS - the role model for that is Mohammed who consummated his marriage to Aisha (then aged 9 years old) when he was 54 years of age (She was betrothed at the age of 5/6 years). The authority for that comes from the Sahih Al-Bukhari widely regarded as the codification of the Hadiths (muslim traditions).

Islam as the "religion of peace". Nice piece of propaganda, but for 400 years from the formation of Islam conversion was at the point of a sword. Growth of the religion went hand in hand with conquest and the marginalisation, or worse of the religions of those conquered. I have also seen statuary in Turkey with faces smashed by 8th century muslim forces, which is exactly what IS was doing now in Palmyra. Death is the verdict for apostasy. You'd have thought the persuasiveness of theological argument would sway the waverer, but apparently violence is the answer. Does IS deal with this any differently?

While we all love to hate the barbaric IS for their beastly actions, we do not take the time to understand what it is about.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Muhammad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aisha#Marriage_to_Muhammad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquests
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquests_on_the_Indian_subcontinent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquest_of_Persia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ridda_wars
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_conquest_of_Hispania

[W8taminute]

Without a serious causus belli I don't think anyone will do anything to put an end to this scourge.  Once the bad guys cross the line and do something that is absolutely inexcusable in that our way of life is on the verge of elimination then and only then do I see a coalition being formed to wipe this problem out. 

I'm not saying the terrible things these groups have done to date are inexcusable, I'm just saying that the limit of toleration has not been exceeded yet and so we put up with the nonsense that is currently occurring.   

All the wars of the past have not started without some single unbearable event, whether fabricated or naturally induced, happening to give justification for war.

[JasonPratt]

My impression, which admittedly could be wrong, is that as much as other nations complain about the US acting unilaterally, they expect us to at least take the lead in these matters -- which is reasonable given our massive firepower capabilities -- and there is practically no way this administration is going to do that, because that would be an admission that pulling US power out was a mistake.

Also, wars (and post-war occupation and quasi-nation-building ;) ) cost money, and we're already spending ridiculously more money than we can afford already.

But the people being terrorized in the region can be consoled that Obama funded the AHA during his reign! LEGACY!  O0

[jejo68]

only problem is that if we are to successful against IS then they will become refugees, and guess where they will head for ?