Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
isn't the whole nato thing... if you attack one, you attack all?? So wheres france going to lead the assault?
Actually, the French have a pretty strong reputation for "playing dirty" when their interests really depend upon it; it's a fairly common belief among the "fringe elements" within France that, to cite one example, torture may have been used to break the assassination attempts against Charles DeGaulle back in the early Sixties -- and during the Algerian insurrection which spawned the opposition to DeGaulle among some within the French army.
One more reason it might be a good idea to let the French "carry the ball" in this instance.
This "Destroy IS" strategy is naive without a longer term, more fully delineated regional strategy. Time for a quick review:
*Saddam/Assad, other Authoritarians/dictators kept the region's radicals in check since the Iran/Iraq war in which we supported Saddam
*Bush/Rummy/Cheney decide the evil dictator Saddam must be deposed so the "freedom loving peoples of Iraq" can experience democracy
*The three wise men disband the world's forth biggest army and political structure of the Baath party - these hundreds of thousands of Baathists now have the knowledge and motivation to work against western/US interests.
*National tensions turn into a full blown Iraqi civil war. Al Qaeda co-opts the Sunni insurgents movements and starts increasing terrorists attacks on non-Sunnis
*The war rages for 7 years or more until the US Surge temporarily solves the fighting problem by paying regional Sunni chieftains to support stability in each of their respective regions.
*The US decides to withdraw from Iraq because hey how long are we expected to run the damn country (don't see any of the current warmongers addressing this issue!)
* The vacuum left by departing US troops and money is then conveniently filled with a new breed of Sunni fundamentalist which evolve into IS/Daesh and whose control and management is run by former Baathists. The US-equipped and armed Iraqi (Shiite) army turns and runs from Sunni populated areas abandoning their security positions along with their equipment which now falls into IS control.
*Iraq turns into three opposing quasi-independent terrorities under Shiite, Kurd, and IS control.
*The US supports and arms "moderate" Sunni rebels against Assad by giving them money and weapons - many of these are either killed, or defect (with their equipment) to an ever growing IS, (inadvertently?) contributing to instability in Syria.
Turkey, Saudi, UAE, Egypt are against Assad and the Shiite govt of Iraq (publicly they are against IS but privately they prefer IS over Assad/Iran/Baghdad govt.
Iran/Assad/Russia are anti-IS and anti radical (sunni) Islam. Israel is neutral in this - their hospitals treat victims on both sides.
The lessons of Afghanistan are clear - Terror attacks on the west should be avenged and those Directly responsible need to be punished. However, we should not be involved in the religious squabbles or running any of these countries. Think Special forces not US battalions; move involvement = more attacks, more US$, more US deaths.
The region needs to stand on its own and manage their own affairs. I have yet to hear any US (or French) politician state fully formed strategy.
Who said anything about the oil infrastructure? or the pragmatists who run it?; we have seen numerous examples of moderate Arab oilmen who understood the game, below is a link to one of the finest:
But let any bin-Laden-wannabee, or any relative who finances them -- understand that they just might be the one assassinated in a social setting, or blown from their own comfortable bed when they least expect it, and let the world know the reason why.
O.K. Even worse....political assassinations. Why in the hell does anyone think other people are any different than we are.
I wasn't able to comprehend you going here. What would happen if another foriegn leader plotted and killed our president? Why do you think others will react any differently?
Actually, the French have a pretty strong reputation for "playing dirty" when their interests really depend upon it; it's a fairly common belief among the "fringe elements" within France that, to cite one example, torture may have been used to break the assassination attempts against Charles DeGaulle back in the early Sixties -- and during the Algerian insurrection which spawned the opposition to DeGaulle among some within the French army.
One more reason it might be a good idea to let the French "carry the ball" in this instance.
Yes I remember French commandoes sinking a Green Peace Ship back in the 1980's, bad dudes.
O.K. Even worse....political assassinations. Why in the hell does anyone think other people are any different than we are.
I wasn't able to comprehend you going here. What would happen if another foriegn leader plotted and killed our president? Why do you think others will react any differently?
I'm not speaking of heads of state; I'm talking about known terrorists, and the people who furnish their wherewithal. They might "benefit" from a taste of their own medicine.
You have to remember, the Republican candidates aren't really smart of enough to understand much of anything that is going on. On top of that, the public has been kept in the dark and so those guys probably don't have the full picture. And finally, the people in charge of US foreign policy (including the CIA which is apparently arming ISIS to this day) are a bunch of nut cases. They seem to think that the world is some sort of giant Risk game and that their actions will have no real consequences. Unfortunately, they're playing with fire. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm in no mood for WWIII.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
