IS

[Borachio]

If any of the citizens of the countries opposed the leadership, then they didn't show it, so in effect they legitimised the leaders actions by not actively opposing them.

Golly! You set a high bar, don't you? I wonder if you realize what totalitarian regimes are really like.

I've a book somewhere called "Resisting Hitler". It wasn't an easy thing to do.

 

[kramerfan86]

If any of the citizens of the countries opposed the leadership, then they didn't show it, so in effect they legitimised the leaders actions by not actively opposing them.

Takes an awful big man to live in a peaceful country and tell those staring down the barrels of guns what they should do. i suppose you believe all North Koreans are as evil and deranged as the Kim family, its a very compassionate and christian mindset you take

 

[Timsup2nothin]

For the record, I do not live in a totalitarian state and I still seem to have very little success when it comes to altering its basic direction despite being far more active than most.

 

[Borachio]

What direction do you want to alter, Mr Nothin?

And how do you know which is the best direction to go?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

What direction do you want to alter, Mr Nothin?

And how do you know which is the best direction to go?

Well, I fought pretty hard against reelecting a guy who espoused a foreign policy of 'if we kick over beehives and stomp the queen the bees are gonna elect a new queen that likes us', but he got reelected anyway.

Beyond that I try to mostly stay in the 'live and let live' camp.

 

[Borachio]

Surely you must have fought hard against somebody by fighting hard for someone else?

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Surely you must have fought hard against somebody by fighting hard for someone else?

Unfortunately the democratic party coughed up John Kerry, who I had a hard time taking seriously...but I did my best with what was offered. It really was more a campaign against than for though, and I continued arguing for impeachment for the next four years.

I consider 2012 to be a success, as when Romney took aim at the next beehive in line I went all in campaigning for Obama. Still wouldn't say that changing the direction of an other than totalitarian state is anything like easy though.

 

[Borachio]

You're politically active? You know, that never appealed to me at all.

I've often felt I should be, that I wasn't taking enough responsibility, but somehow lacked any conviction.

 

[Tigranes]

A CIA spokesman says a new intelligence assessment estimates that the Islamic State group can muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria, up from a previous figure of 10,000. Со ISIS ranks have TRIPLED - including 2,000 Westerners!

 

[Timsup2nothin]

You're politically active? You know, that never appealed to me at all.

I've often felt I should be, that I wasn't taking enough responsibility, but somehow lacked any conviction.

I wasn't for a long time. GWBush convinced me.

 

[Flying Pig]

A CIA spokesman says a new intelligence assessment estimates that the Islamic State group can muster between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters across Iraq and Syria, up from a previous figure of 10,000. Со ISIS ranks have TRIPLED - including 2,000 Westerners!

I suspect it's more that they're giving their larger efforts now that Obama is likely to authorise military action without Congressional approval - to do so and get away with it, he needs popular support.

 

[Tahuti]

I suspect it's more that they're giving their larger efforts now that Obama is likely to authorise military action without Congressional approval - to do so and get away with it, he needs popular support.

I actually could easily believe it. The strength in ISIS seems to lie in that they are apparently able to attract Sunni deserters from the Iraqi and Syrian armies.

 

[r16]

stuff happens in Ankara . By "sheer coincidence" 4 members of the Kuwaiti Embassy get involved with in an altercation with a "civilian" driver . The civilian guy is the son-in-law of the Turkish Air Force commander he is a Lieutenant Colonel , an F-16 pilot detached to NATO duty and in Ankara for the birth of his daughter ; in fact he and his wife are taking their 6 days old baby to vaccination . The 3 Kuwaitis include the Military attache ; their driver is a Turkish National . They kick the lone guy down to ground and start kicking on the face with a "clear" intent to kill or something . Somehow comes on the day Ankara -under US approval of course- declines to sign the Cidde declaration , looking like supporting ISIL or something . Maybe am not old enough but ı can't remember the US guys doing anything like this when they owned this country . Must be some sort of deficiency complex on part of our new masters , the Arabs , who are still owned by the Americans . So much for global reach , right ?

when somebody promises to deliver , he better must deliver . ı say ı will flatten the White House and all only because ı will flatten all and stuff . The problem with the New Turkey and hence the Middle East is that no body believes a word of what the New offers and fully confident the Old is truly dead , including its myths . A line of inquiry for the glorious Turkish Intelligence must be how the Kuwaitis are capable of trackin' people , considering all the radical Muslim type in Turkey dudes are supposed to be Muslim Brotherhood stuff ...

 

[kramerfan86]

I dont see obama's strategy working at all to remove ISIS. Refuses to work it Iran or Syria's government, is going to try and prop up the "moderate" rebels who at this point are just a more mild version of the extremist rebels, and throw some airstrikes in there. I think this strategy will freeze ISIS in place, but its not going to eliminate it.

 

[Tigranes]

Why is that we have no "Ask a moderate Muslim " thread? Maybe r16 could volunteer? If every single respected cleric would issue fatwas against IS -- that would sure help.

 

[Ajidica]

If every single respected cleric would issue fatwas against IS -- that would sure help.

Does a Catholic need the Pope to tell them the LRA is bad?
On an issue where we can see both Saudi Arabia and Iran cooperating should give you some idea on just how far outside mainstream conservative Islam IS actually is.
Looking at the past, al-Qaeda was able to call upon some degree of popularity among Muslims because they were perceived as one of the few groups standing up for Muslim dignity and protecting Muslims. They lost that pretty quickly once they began attacking Muslims and devolving into sectarian violence.
IS has more or less skipped the "generate some popularity" step and proceeded straight to "just kill everyone we don't like in brutal and graphic ways to instill fear". Even the Sunni elders who formed IS's base of support when they moved into Iraq have developed serious misgivings about IS and have been dropping none-to-subtle hints that they would be more than willing to see IS kicked out of northern Iraq.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I think it was Dexter Filkins, commenting on the strange bedfellows USA and Iran, who said "ISIS has an almost unique ability to make everybody angry at them" (that's from memory, so I'm probably paraphrasing).

 

[Ajidica]

I think it was Dexter Filkins, commenting on the strange bedfellows USA and Iran, who said "ISIS has an almost unique ability to make everybody angry at them" (that's from memory, so I'm probably paraphrasing).

That's what is annoying me with Obama's strategy for dealing with IS. We have the chance to get everyone in the region to cooperate willingly and what are we doing? Stating that we won't coordinate our activities with Iran or Syria and continuing to support the Syrian opposition which will just prolong the Syrian Civil War (the situation that, you know, caused IS to go from a group of nutters into a serious threat to regional stability).

 

[Tigranes]

Does a Catholic need the Pope to tell them the LRA is bad?

There can be no comparisons between Islam and Christianity in this context. There are 20, 000 Christian denominations plus non-denominational churches, plus pseudo-Christian sects. LRA is locally run sect, with no guys traveling from USA to join them. Every single IS recruit be it from Tunisia or Chechnya decided to join IS while still being a Sunni Muslim. Week before he was attending to Friday sermon in his local mosque, week after he is pledging allegiance to "Caliph". Did not receive enough peer discouragement, me thinks.

 

[kramerfan86]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/12/isis-deal-syria_n_5814128.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592

So the rebels and ISIS have agreed to not fight each other until Assad is gone, Obama's stupid plan is already falling apart before it begins.