Iraq: 11 years later - Page 37 - Politics and Economics

Wrong comparison. Its safe to say that Most Kurds are against Al Qaeda/Taliban ideology.

The Iraqi Kurds are modernized, they have massive shopping malls, pop stars, good music, good entertainment, etc. The Kurds in Iraq are on the frontline in the war on terror, and they are working directly with the US military in the fight against ISIS. Furthermore, the Kurds of Iraq are indeed US friendly. There are streets in the Kurd Areas of Iraq which have American names.

09-18-2014 , 07:02 PM

#902

O.A.F.K.1.1

Ted Patrick

Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 27,952

Its kind of depressing when it gets to:

Dont worry, they are like us, they have massive shopping malls and pop stars.

09-18-2014 , 08:53 PM

#903

Howard Beale

Formerly red

Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 22,190

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prolific528

Name one.

Yesterday Fox News had the "executive director of the independent women's forum" on air discussing isis and what Obama should do. Definitely an expert. Definitely someone who should advise the people in charge on what to do. Her title carries a lot of weight.

If it makes you feel any better TPTB are prob not listening to the advice of these dolled up women or the more grizzled former military guys either. But here's one I can name:

Spoiler:

09-18-2014 , 10:55 PM

#904

suzzer99

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World

Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 99,984

Quote:

Originally Posted by POPEYE81

We should arm that guy. He seems like a go-getter.

09-19-2014 , 09:23 AM

#905

Huehuecoyotl

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 29,257

Say whatever you want about the administration's strategy about IS, it's light years ahead of Cruz and Paul's plans.

Quote:

The White House is the very picture of responsibility compared to critics like Ted Cruz.
The Texas Republican wrote an Op-Ed for CNN laying out his plan for taking on ISIS. “First and foremost,” writes Cruz, is “border security.” (That would be the U.S.-Mexico border.) Step two is revoking the citizenship of U.S.-born ISIS fighters. Step three is “a coordinated and overwhelming air campaign.” He dismissed “impractical contingencies, such as resolving the Syrian civil war, reaching political reconciliation in Iraq or achieving ‘consensus’ in the international community.”
Cruz went on Fox News this week and elaborated on his disdain for anything not military-related when it comes to ISIS. “It’s not our job to be social workers in Iraq and put them all on expanded Medicaid,” Cruz said. “It is our job to kill terrorists who have declared war on America and who have demonstrated the intention and capability to murder innocent Americans.”
So Cruz wants a bunch of bombs and scoffs at the idea of engaging anyone in the region. How deviously simplistic! This is precisely the sort of hackery that foreign policy expert Brian Fishman warned about when the ISIS war drums started beating:
No one has offered a plausible strategy to defeat ISIL that does not include a major U.S. commitment on the ground and the renewal of functional governance on both sides of the Iraqi-Syrian border. And no one will, because none exists. But that has not prevented a slew of hacks and wonks from suggesting grandiose policy goals without paying serious attention to the costs of implementation and the fragility of the U.S. political consensus for achieving those goals.

Quote:

Say what you will about Cruz, but at least you can define some of the contours of his strategy. That’s not really the case with Rand Paul. His positions on ISIS have been changing rapidly, sometimes in as little as a few hours. The one thing he is sure of is that President Obama is wrong. His speech on the Senate floor yesterday was an impassioned case against the administration’s plan to send arms to the rebels fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. “Intervention when both sides are evil is a mistake,” he argued.
So what does Rand Paul want to see done? It’s unclear. He supports airstrikes of some variety. And, as noted above, he wants to “destroy” ISIS. But he also doesn’t want any sort of involvement in the Syrian civil war or on the ground in Iraq. Instead, Paul issued a call to “civilized Islam” to “crush radical Islam.” Part of his strategy, it seems, involves demanding that “civilized” Muslims formulate a strategy and browbeating them for dancing instead of fighting terrorists:
The voices aren’t loud enough. I want to see civilized Islam on the front page of the newspaper, international TV saying what they will do to wipe out radical Islam. I want to see them on the front lines, fighting. I don’t want to see them sipping tea or in the discotheque in Cairo. I want to see them in front line fighting a war to show Americans, to show the world there is form of civilized Islam that doesn’t believe in this barbarity.
I’m no expert, but “prove to us that you’re civilized” doesn’t seem like the best strategy for recruiting allies to the struggle. Also, dancing in a discotheque seems like a pretty good way to flip the bird to religious fundamentalists.
These are terrible strategies.

http://www.salon.com/2014/09/19/ted_...is_ridiculous/

09-19-2014 , 12:43 PM

#906

Happy_Fish

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Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 7,497

That Rand Paul strategy is laughably bad. At least his dad would have a little spine instead of crumbling to the politics of the situation.

"We gotta do SOMETHING, and it can't be whatever HE is doing."

09-19-2014 , 03:01 PM

#907

Huehuecoyotl

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 29,257

Interesting small tidbit from Iraq

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/n...inst-jihadists

09-19-2014 , 03:47 PM

#908

grizy

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Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 20,571

He's basically describing what Obama is doing.

We'll provide the air power, you guys have to step up and put the boots on the ground.

09-19-2014 , 03:57 PM

#909

Huehuecoyotl

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 29,257

Well kind of, if the Iraqi military is dancing in Cairo on the weekends.

09-19-2014 , 04:28 PM

#910

joeyDizzle

banned

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,227

Cruz's derp playing to the ******s still makes him seem like Eisenhower compared to Obama. The Syrian rebel aid is an effort to oust Assad. I wonder what happens after that?

The Obama admin has helped to set the entire god damn region on fire. Bush, though!!!

It doesn't appear that there are any capable "moderates" in the ranks. They are going to train these moderates in Saudi Arabia. Outlets have been reporting for a week that ISIS and the rebels have agreed not to fight each other, but to target Assad. Apparently the WH says this isn't true.

So, who are US forces actually going to be training in SA?

09-19-2014 , 05:06 PM

#911

Private_Snowball

banned

Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 525

History always repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.
- Karl Marx.

09-20-2014 , 10:44 AM

#912

Huehuecoyotl

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A released Kurdish IS fighter

http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/cultur...e-member_26696

09-20-2014 , 11:28 AM

#913

grizy

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 20,571

I am still thinking Kosovo.

Offer American air support non-stop and force rest of the world to provide ground troops with blue caps to occupy (call it peace keeping if you wish) indefinitely (still peacekeepers in Kosovo).

The only problem with this model is the atrocities have to get pretty far out of hand with a lot of publicity before reluctant allies step up.

It sucks, but USA can no longer afford to police the world by herself.

But I do believe rest of the world believes the USA, despite her faults, has been a beacon (on net) for liberal democracy in the world (this is a problem for those that believes liberal democracy is evil). Time for everyone else to grow up, step up, and contribute to the upkeep of the liberal democratic order under which the world has been more prosperous and peaceful (yes, peaceful) than any other time in human history, by a lot.

09-20-2014 , 12:04 PM

#914

POPEYE81

grinder

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 528

Quote:

Originally Posted by grizy

kosovo is a lot different to iraq/middle east. just compare the size .
these guys in middle fighting over islamic problems. just look at support of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood
and ull see, even tho IS might goes a bit far in their actions*, its not like the people down there are in total opposition of some of their goals.
also i think u a bit misguided by the media when it comes to how people look at US foreign policies. nobody believes the US tropps fighting for democracy around the world.

09-21-2014 , 12:06 PM

#915

suzzer99

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World

Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 99,984

Quote:

Originally Posted by Huehuecoyotl

A released Kurdish IS fighter

http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/cultur...e-member_26696

This smells like bull****.

Quote:

After training, my two Kurdish friends left to A'zaz where they have been confirmed killed now, but I was assigned to work as a technician in Al-Raqqa in the communications department. I was once told to go to a house to test some equipment to see if they can be useful for the technical and communication bureau. Once inside I realised it was a Christian home.

I saw six jihadists demanding that a Christian women and her daughter become their wives. The daughter was about 12-13-years-old. I told the jihadists forcing women is forbidden in Islam and children can't be touched under any circumstances. They loaded their guns in my face and told me to leave. I immediately left to the local court that was based in a small house, but the judge was worse, he said I was wrong because 13-year-old girl is not considered a child, essentially because prophet Muhammad married his wife, Aisha, when she was only 9 years old. He accused me of having poor faith in the practices of prophet Muhammad for which I could have been detained and possibly punished with tough sentences, but my field commander soon arrived and saved me.

You couldn't write a better piece of anti-Muslim propaganda if you tried.

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