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.
since they cannot be reasoned with, and you can't ignore it either - how do we balance our role in the middle east (and obligations we have to our allies - and NOT just Israel, we have other allies in the ME) while not constantly sticking our nose in it?
Consider how easy it is to reason with people in this forum...
There are those who can be reasoned with and those who can't on both sides of just about any issue. The trick is to identify and support the reasonable ones with hope they can muster enough power and good judgement to ultimately overcome the unreasonable ones.
Anyway, Carpet bombing didn't work for LBJ and it definitely wouldn't work here.
Carpet bombing certainly did not work for LBJ. Vietnam is a very tiny country compared to any of the Middle Eastern nations we're at war with. If carpet bombing didn't work on a tiny nation, why would it work in Iraq or Afghanistan? These are larger expanses of land with more places for terrorists to hide.
This is the thing to understand about these terrorists. They do not care. They are willing to die. It is actually worse than dealing with Japan's Imperial Army during WWII. They at least had to answer to the Emperor. Once Emperor Hirohito realized he was done, well, that was it. Surrender was no problem. ISIS and these terrorists have no one to answer to, just a violent ideology.
This is the thing to understand about these terrorists. They do not care. They are willing to die. It is actually worse than dealing with Japan's Imperial Army during WWII. They at least had to answer to the Emperor. Once Emperor Hirohito realized he was done, well, that was it. Surrender was no problem. ISIS and these terrorists have no one to answer to, just a violent ideology.
Actually they are willing to kill "anyone" who does not follow their ideology or kill within their own ranks who they think is not 100% in belief of their ideology. As to dying, sure many die in confrontations. But on average (or median depending on POV) worldwide 500 die by suicide of which it was a high majority Muslims killing other Muslims.
The tradition of death instead of defeat, capture, and perceived shame was deeply entrenched in Japanese military culture. Middle Eastern terrorists do in some follow the same lines.
Actually they are willing to kill "anyone" who does not follow their ideology or kill within their own ranks who they think is not 100% in belief of their ideology. As to dying, sure many die in confrontations. But on average (or median depending on POV) worldwide 500 die by suicide of which it was a high majority Muslims killing other Muslims.
The tradition of death instead of defeat, capture, and perceived shame was deeply entrenched in Japanese military culture. Middle Eastern terrorists do in some follow the same lines.
I've pointed out that extremists are willing to die and yes, suicide before capture is something Japanese soldiers shared with today's terrorists. I also pointed out a difference that you ignored. Japanese soldiers had to answer to the Emperor. Once the Emperor had something to lose, he was able to get the troops to basically stop. These terrorists don't have anyone to answer to. Or the leader involved has nothing to lose other than life. The goal is a caliphate by force. That is something we don't want. The only thing any of those leaders have to lose is their dream of a caliphate via use of terror.
I've pointed out that extremists are willing to die and yes, suicide before capture is something Japanese soldiers shared with today's terrorists. I also pointed out a difference that you ignored. Japanese soldiers had to answer to the Emperor. Once the Emperor had something to lose, he was able to get the troops to basically stop. These terrorists don't have anyone to answer to. Or the leader involved has nothing to lose other than life. The goal is a caliphate by force. That is something we don't want. The only thing any of those leaders have to lose is their dream of a caliphate via use of terror.
All true and lots "we don't want," but much like the case of Boko Haram, there are many ignorant, violent and vile out there that "we don't want," driven by ignorance of all sorts, along with a good many other lethal elements. Sure as we can all easily agree these animals are nothing but evil monsters that need to be gone from our planet, the trick is getting rid of them.
We surely need not expand on all our various versions of what make these terrorists the mindless killers they are. What we need is an intelligent measured manner in which to deal with them without making matters worse, kill or at least contain/restrain them as much as possible without killing more innocents, without creating more of them!
Carpet bombing, for example, or "demonizing" an entire religion are the WRONG things to do if any real progress is the goal.
We need to smoke these mofos out and out last them one way or another until they die of their own weight of ignorance and hate. What "we don't want" is to make more of them or add to the ignorance, because that only extends the wait for any better chance of less violence rather than more.
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.
