# An idea on how to defeat ISIS. Simple or simple minded? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 14, 2015, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519 "2015-11-14T02:48:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/104 "2015-11-16T06:12:57Z")
That, and Joshua 14:5 - _Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey. A kiddley divey too, Wooden shoe!_ ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/105 "2015-11-16T13:27:59Z")
Had an unfortunate and sobering thought: what if there is literally nothing the US and western countries can do about hundreds of thousands of Arabs and Muslims holding murderous rage towards us until a generation or more goes by in which there are not hundreds of thousands of Arab and Muslim children whose moms and dads were killed by US and western weapons? Blowing up ISIS might hurt ISIS, but it would create the next version of ISIS with all the collateral damage. Other than better internal surveillance and law enforcement to prevent and mitigate attacks in our territories, I wonder if the best (and maybe only) thing to do is _nothing_. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/106 "2015-11-16T13:39:02Z")
**A better way to solve the problems in the Middle East.** All these troubles are funded through crude oil sales. Time to stop buying it from these butchers. Not only should the USA stop importing it, but we need to stop importing any product made from it. If China wants to fund Iranian terrorism by buying their crude oil, then the USA needs to impose a complete ban on Chinese products entering our country. Mexico has plenty of crude oil and I for one would rather see “_Heche en Mexico_” on my products than “Made in China”. As a side benefit, we would reduce CO[sub]2[/sub] emissions … ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/107 "2015-11-16T14:28:52Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > **A better way to solve the problems in the Middle East.** > > All these troubles are funded through crude oil sales. Time to stop buying it from these butchers. Not only should the USA stop importing it, but we need to stop importing any product made from it. If China wants to fund Iranian terrorism by buying their crude oil, then the USA needs to impose a complete ban on Chinese products entering our country. Mexico has plenty of crude oil and I for one would rather see “_Heche en Mexico_” on my products than “Made in China”. > > As a side benefit, we would reduce CO[sub]2[/sub] emissions … Aside from your being apparently highly misinformed on the relative ease of completely overturning a commodity market in this way, the personal risk to any one person from terrorism is miniscule in comparison to the risk of economic and societal disruption to the same person that your plan would likely cause. Pass. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/108 "2015-11-16T14:48:31Z")
I don’t think there is a way to defeat terrorism other than to have a de facto policy of assassinating terrorists as they are found, as quietly as possible. Essentially disrupt individuals and cells by making the participants disappear permanently. Gitmo without the prison part. The ordinary rule of law simply will not work given the vast grayness between holding an alternate opinion and being “radicalized” into machine-gunning a concert goer. What you have to do instead is give select folks the license to kill within the best judgment they can make that the one killed was a credible threat. Such a policy has its own ramifications, especially because it denies due process and because it lends itself to the development of a police state. Where there is territory involved, ordinary mechanism for war might be entertained, but the two processes are kind of separate: prosecuting a war involving territory versus “fighting (physical) terrorism” in the sense of terrorist activities projected beyond a territory. If Paris-type attacks continue to be successfully executed, I suspect the vast majority of us will be willing to look the other way when appropriate assassinations are carried out, just as we did with bin Laden. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/109 "2015-11-16T14:59:46Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Aside from your being apparently highly misinformed on the relative ease of completely overturning a commodity market in this way, the personal risk to any one person from terrorism is miniscule in comparison to the risk of economic and societal disruption to the same person that your plan would likely cause. Pass. Sadly, you seem totally misinformed about where the USA imports it’s oil from … just about [40% comes from Canada](http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm) … and just a reminder, Canada isn’t _technically_ in the Middle East, it’s in North America. Do you have any idea what they do to women in Saudi Arabia if they’re caught driving a car, or even seen outside their home without their father/brother/husband … the police chop their heads off right there in the streets. Miniscule ??? You also seem _un_informed about what terrorism is … one need not knife very many Israelis … or machine-gun down very many French … or take down very many American buildings … to make these peoples fear to go to the store or restaurant. May Allah protect the pretty 14-year-old girl in Northern Nigeria … because Americans are too selfish to even try. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/110 "2015-11-16T15:10:24Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Sadly, you seem totally misinformed about where the USA imports it’s oil from … just about [40% comes from Canada](http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm) … and just a reminder, Canada isn’t _technically_ in the Middle East, it’s in North America. > > Do you have any idea what they do to women in Saudi Arabia if they’re caught driving a car, or even seen outside their home without their father/brother/husband … the police chop their heads off right there in the streets. > > Miniscule ??? > > You also seem _un_informed about what terrorism is … one need not knife very many Israelis … or machine-gun down very many French … or take down very many American buildings … to make these peoples fear to go to the store or restaurant. > > May Allah protect the pretty 14-year-old girl in Northern Nigeria … because Americans are too selfish to even try. Well, I was indeed against your notion a mere half-hour ago, but your heartfelt, and no doubt entirely factual, appeal to emotion has gotten the better of me. Jihad on the Jihadists! Really, though, Saudi women summarily beheaded for driving cars? You sure about that one? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/111 "2015-11-16T15:12:44Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Aside from your being apparently highly misinformed on the relative ease of completely overturning a commodity market in this way, the personal risk to any one person from terrorism is miniscule in comparison to the risk of economic and societal disruption to the same person that your plan would likely cause. Pass. Indeed. That plan is so crazy and would essentially destroy the economy. I’d prefer a few random acts of terror ever couple years to economic calamity. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/112 "2015-11-16T15:34:02Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Well, I was indeed against your notion a mere half-hour ago, but your heartfelt, and no doubt entirely factual, appeal to emotion has gotten the better of me. Jihad on the Jihadists! Of course this plan would disrupt Western economies … but this is something we need to do anyway … and for a lot of different reasons. The OP would have us ship a mess of A1M2’s to the region for a _third_ time, so there’s disruption either way. > [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Really, though, Saudi women summarily beheaded for driving cars? You sure about that one? No … [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Saudi_Arabia) makes no claim to this effect, but hells bells, we can’t trust Wikipedia now can we? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/113 "2015-11-16T15:45:23Z")
We should not, however, pretend that it doesn’t totally suck to be a woman in an Islamist state. It also sucks to be someone who believes in freedom of expression where the freedom requested is an expression of antipathy toward Islam. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/114 "2015-11-16T16:41:42Z")
> [@kathyj](#): > > The FBI stated that a number of American’s left the USA to join ISIS but their identities are net being made public. > > Has anyone else heard this? I wouldn’t be surprised, but what is the point of making their identities public? Just in case someone in Syria happens to see a wanted poster in their local post office, and matches it to the new guy who just moved in down the street in Raqqa; do you expect them to call the FBI to say that they’ve seen an ISIL member 5,000 miles from the U.S. borders? ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519/115 "2015-11-16T22:38:13Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Sadly, you seem totally misinformed about where the USA imports it’s oil from … just about [40% comes from Canada](http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm) … and just a reminder, Canada isn’t _technically_ in the Middle East, it’s in North America. And it doesn’t matter anyway, because price is what matters, and oil prices are set on a worldwide market. The U.S. consumes 1/4th of the worlds’ oil; we could easily make prices fall if we reduced consumption, regardless of whose oil we buy less of. By the same token, if supply is choked off in the Middle East, prices will go up, even the prices of oil from Canada. So yes, we could hurt the Saudis by reducing our consumption of Canadian oil. Just saying. Doesn’t mean I agree with everything else said about oil here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-idea-on-how-to-defeat-isis-simple-or-simple-minded/737519.md?page=5)