Why is the current middle-eastern ****storm being allowed to continue?

[el_marto]

Originally Posted by Attrill

I think you need to learn at least something about the countries surrounding the portions of Syria and Iraq that are controlled by ISIS. There is no way they could do what you're proposing. Let's go through them:

Syria - Ummm....yeah. Assad is already fighting them as best he can.
Iraq - We basically got nothing out of the Iraqi military after spending a trillion dollars and close to a decade training them. ISIS routed them in a matter of weeks and took their weapons, supplies, and money (all supplied by us).
Jordan - Jordan is a tiny country that is currently overwhelmed by Syrian refugees. Even in the best of times they don't have the capabilities to take out ISIS, and this is far from the best of times for them. They are doing quite a bit though.
Turkey - Turkey could, and should, be doing more. The current Turkish government is sort of Islamist lite, and probably has some elements that support ISIS. They also don't mind seeing Assad taken down, as well as Kurdish groups in the region suffering losses against ISIS.

So that's pretty much all of "the countries surrounding them". Other countries in the region are doing a fair amount to fight ISIS - Iran and Kurdish groups in Iraq in particular. In terms of what we should do, I think we should support and train Kurdish forces, do the same for moderate elements of the Syrian rebels, offer aid and support to Jordan, step away from Turkey, and support any attempts to take down ISIS through air and intelligence support. We shouldn't have troops on the ground.

Iraq and Syria aren't the countries surrounding Iraq and Syria.

[lchoro]

Originally Posted by mapmd

To the armchair generals posting on here saying that "WE need to do something", I'm happy to inform you that you are more than free to grab a rifle and head on over. No one is stopping you. No one.

In addition to grabbing a rifle you are also free to open up your own wallet and use your own family's bank account to fund your little adventure. Please don't ask me to pay for your shenanigans & tomfoolery.

And who is this "we" you speak of? Ohhhhhh, what you actually meant to say was "I want someone else to do something" I had my two deployments. When are you going to take your turn? Oh you'll provide moral support? Gee, thanks.

When is John McCain going to see combat (aside from crashing a half dozen jets)? He and his ilk seem fairly adamant about war, war, and more war. But I don't see him or his buddies doing anything productive (aside from posing for a photo op with the predecessors of ISIS, but that's another issue) and I certainly don't see our Congress Clowns sending any of their sons to the party.

Why should a kid from Nebraska or Vermont or Oregon be sent to die or be maimed for life because Israel and America's Neocons/AIPAC want to destabilize the middle east? Sorry, but that region is none of MY business, not any longer, and in no way shape or form should it be "OUR" business either.

But if YOU want to fight, go ahead Mr. and Mrs. Armchair Generals, a rifle and parachute await thee (if your McTushies can even fit in the rig...)

ISIS is a military psy op.

By focusing on their brutality, they move public opinion towards supporting direct US military involvement in the war against Syria and Assad. The kidnappings and killings videos have done what the chemical weapons attacks could not.

Many of the news stories, videos, and photographs of ISIS atrocities are fakes. There is one government-funded 'think tank' called the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that's constantly putting out news releases of atrocities that didnt' occur, such as the mass child beheadings, sex slave auctions, Mt. Sinjar massacre, or other battles. They often use videos and photos from old battles or unreleated events and misrepresent them as evidence of new atrocities.

The other intent of all this disinformation is to effect ethnic cleansing on the ground by scaring the civilian populations in Syria to flee without mass casualties taking place. The city Kobani was mostly empty of civilians when the battle against ISIS take place.

The overall strategy is to capture territory and to destroy Syrian infrastructure through aerial bombing for a potential conventional war against Assad.

[tofur]

If something is to be done about ISIS it will have to be a joint coalition. Luckily ISIS is pissing off pretty much every developed nation so this coalition will be easy to form (Jordan with their burned alive pilot saying the only problem they'll have now is running out of oil and bullets to kill ISIS with, Japan with their beheaded guy who are now royally PO'ed, etc)

It will come to a head likely when ISIS successfully attacks someone, whether it's the US, Canada, Germany, Japan... A major attack that kills a lot of people will trigger a world wide stomp down on them.

[modernist1]

Pedantic maybe ... but I refuse to call them 'ISIS/IS'. The term gives too much credibility to a bunch of superstitionist throwbacks. I urge everyone to consider doing the same - for me it's so-called IS/ISIS or Daesh (which apparently they hate).

[Mangokiwi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9PDw55N3KI

Watch this. You have to understand Islam, it's completely different from all other religions on earth. It's literally a religion of conquest and violence, including violence against members of Islam who don't practice the religion properly. It's a zero sum game.