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ISIS has about 30,000 members, according to most reports (some upwards of 50k). Yet Iraq alone has a population of greater than 30 million. Meaning that there are 1000 Iraqi citizens (not to mention other ME countries) for each member of ISIS. Not our country, not our problem, not worth the life of one single US serviceman. If the people of the ME actually oppose ISIS they can do the fighting and dying. We have sacrificed far too many young American lives trying to make a better life for the people of the ME. And they still made nothing of the opportunity our people died to give them. Our mistake, we overestimated the people and the culture.
We need to learn from our mistakes and stay the hell out of the ME.
At what point does this become Obama's problem? How many terms must he be in office before what's going on NOW is laid at HIS feet?
Enough of the OT political, back to the current event where this is posted...
Obama is trying to solve it but unless you see a jingoistic President falsely touting mission accomplished I guess you don't get it.
ISIS has about 30,000 members, according to most reports (some upwards of 50k). Yet Iraq alone has a population of greater than 30 million. Meaning that there are 1000 Iraqi citizens (not to mention other ME countries) for each member of ISIS. Not our country, not our problem, not worth the life of one single US serviceman. If the people of the ME actually oppose ISIS they can do the fighting and dying. We have sacrificed far too many young American lives trying to make a better life for the people of the ME. And they still made nothing of the opportunity our people died to give them. Our mistake, we overestimated the people and the culture.
We need to learn from our mistakes and stay the hell out of the ME.
This.
Whatever happened to Obama's 'no boots on the ground' pledge? As soon as he mentioned that, I predicted that slowly but surely, there WOULD be boots on the ground. And what do you know, it first started with a few 'advisors,' then a few hundred security reinforcements, and now sending in thousands and thousands.
Now they're publicly advertising that they're going into Mosul with US troops. WTF, over. And one article mentioned that the Iraqi soldiers may not be ready for this. Again, WTF. The US been in Iraq since 2003, and these Iraqi's STILL aren't ready?
How is it that in America, we can take a 17 year old overweight, fast food gorging, X box playing, unmotivated slacker, and in 9 weeks can turn him into a lean, mean fighting infantry machine, and in over 12 years, many Iraqi's still cannot do the basics of infantry tactics?
What was that about those who forget the past?
These ISIS ain't your run of the mill types who will easily be intimidated. They're using chemical weapons and suicide bombings.
I think if all countries banned travel to the Middle East the Middle Eastern countries would take care of it themselves. Completely pull out of that part of the world, including the military.
what on earth makes you think this is a good idea? Isolating the region would just leave the moderates to get slaughtered by extremists.
yeah, I don't see how you can stomp out an ideology.
That's the problem. We're still in the mindset of bombing a nation until it surrenders, and that's not possible here. I mean, think about it this way: Suppose the government decides to declare a "war" on pickpockets and vandals. Let's say they know of a neighborhood with a high incidence of pickpocketing and vandalism, so they decide to carpet-bomb that neighborhood. How successfully do you think that would wipe out the problem of pickpocketing and vandalism? Along with all the innocent civilians you'd kill, you might take out a few criminals, but it won't stop people from committing the same crime in the next town over, or the next state over, and the surviving criminals in the bombed neighborhood can replenish their numbers by recruiting new members.
Bombing ISIS is the "solution" that scores the easiest political points, because it makes people think we're "doing something" about the problem. In reality, it's about the least productive thing we can do.
Bombing ISIS is the "solution" that scores the easiest political points, because it makes people think we're "doing something" about the problem. In reality, it's about the least productive thing we can do.
ISIS has about 30,000 members, according to most reports (some upwards of 50k). Yet Iraq alone has a population of greater than 30 million. Meaning that there are 1000 Iraqi citizens (not to mention other ME countries) for each member of ISIS. Not our country, not our problem, not worth the life of one single US serviceman. If the people of the ME actually oppose ISIS they can do the fighting and dying. We have sacrificed far too many young American lives trying to make a better life for the people of the ME. And they still made nothing of the opportunity our people died to give them. Our mistake, we overestimated the people and the culture.
We need to learn from our mistakes and stay the hell out of the ME.
The fact that the West de-stabilised the region in the first place is the reason why ISIS exists. ISIS has followers because the West is the ideological boogeyman that they want to fight. ISIS was able to get a foothold because the USA and UK were the ones who removed Saddam and allowed them to take over much of Iraq.
It is; how many years and resources has the US dumped into the region? How many years did thousands of US troops occupy Iraq? How many years did thousands of US troops occupy Afghanistan and are still there? How many years has the US spent billions of dollars to maintain a military presence in the region?
Hundreds of billions of dollars, numerous combat engagements, and yet an organization like the ISIS just pops up. So yes, bombing and military action is basically unproductive, unless you think the ISIS is a result of success?
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How many terms must he be in office before what's going on NOW is laid at HIS feet?
