Just my opinion, but figured I’d start it here so I can cuss.
Youse guys are fucking losers. You have had success because you went into a soft target(Syria), had success, and now onto Iraq. You’ve had obscene success because you’re attacking a target that has no long-term cohesion. Don’t think you could do this in a country who has had a stable government for years.
You just pissed off the world by attacking minorities who have not done anything to you(except under your outdated view of the world). You are no better than Hitler(There–I’ve Godwinized the thread].
Know what happened the last time Hitler tried to impose his will upon the world? You don’t care. You’re only doing what your god told you to do.
You’ll get the first results in the next few days. The US won’t let genocide occur.
The US cannot do this alone. I mean, we have the power to hit them with airstrikes, but if this is going to go with a military response we need a UN Security Council resolution and NATO support. Is there any reason to think Russia or China would block a resolution?
Nah, this sort of group thrives on adversity. The US attacking them will boost their solidarity and street cred enormously.
I fully expect that within no longer than, say, a few million years, the US will come to understand this lesson that history should have made obvious by now.
I’m not convinced air strikes and humanitarian aid are going to make much difference. This is not a regular army with fixed positions. If we start dropping bombs, they’ll disperse into the civilian population. I don’t think there is the political will to support ground troops, even if Obama were so inclined, and I understand he is not at all so inclined at the moment.
Iraq’s military, such as it is, cut and ran when this started. I see no reason to think they’re willing to fight for themselves or for their country, such as it is. Also see no reason we should do it for them.
Agreed. Airstrikes always always guarantee civillian casualties. And since they don’t even have uniforms, what, we should send troops to get some I.D.? Nah.
Only problem with hoping Iraq comes around and does SOMETHING is this group gets bigger all the time. They’re getting more press than al Quaeda and Boko-whatever. This group can plan something large and deadly. Many are asking the US to supply the Kurds with weapons. I say no on that too. Don’t trust em.
Grim possibility exists that the only reason those people were allowed to flee into the mountains was the creeps presumption that the refugees would die there anyway. Even if we can airlift enough food and water to keep them alive, what is to stop the creeps from finishing the job themselves?
Or perhaps the better question is “Who is to stop them?”.
Any response “guarantees” civilian casualties. Hell, not responding at all “guarantees” civilian casualties. /shrug
Their numbers are not really swelling. They are making enemies among the Sunni faster than they are making friends because of their tactics. And arming the Kurds is by far the best idea. They are disciplined, motivated, and they will fight. They already have heavy armor and artillery. More to the point, they’re basically non-sectarian. They don’t care if someone is Sunni or Shi’a or Christian. Also, they like the United States both because of what we did for them after Gulf War I, and because we’ve worked closely with them since the beginning of OIF I.
BTW, with their control of Kirkuk they now have a LOT of the oil in Iraq, and they prefer to do business with American companies. That may not matter at the moment, but it should bear on our decision making, because hey hey, we still need oil.
Of the time I spent in Iraq, I enjoyed my time in Erbil the most. It’s the most secure, yet freest city in the country.
Al Qaeda in its various radical Islamic trying-to-get states always fails. They’ve been trying that shit in the ME and Africa and they get a little land and then lose it. Why? Because everyone hates them. They suck. If the locals don’t throw them out someone nearby will.
I was surprised ISIS managed to grab the land they have. Never thought they’d make it this far. Still, they are going down. I’ve said it before. It’s like they are custom-designed to make the whole world unite against them. They’re like evil space aliens.
The US is too divided, internally. If Obama doesn’t act, The House of Representatives will demand that he do so. If he does, the House will criticize every step he takes and move to cut off funding.
Wow, you’re an optimist. As was pointed out already, except for full-blown boots-on-the-ground invasion by the US (yeah, right), only two things can be done. One is air attacks, which will do exactly nothing strategic. The other is arming the hell out of Kurds and encouraging their independence, which will basically create a well-armed and well-defended Kurdistan and leave the rest of Iraq and “Levant” to ISIS.
We’ve been involved in the area for more than 20 years. In that time, we’ve stopped an unprovoked and illegal invasion of Kuwait, destroyed an oppressive but functional government, allowed the execution of a former head of state after a farcical “trial”, killed a bunch of people, and blown up a lot of stuff. What do we have to show for it? Are the Iraqi people better off now than they were in 2000?
What are we really going to accomplish with a few tons of food, water, and medical supplies, plus the occasional bombing against an irregular force that doesn’t mind hiding behind human shields?
I agree, ISIS sucks. But we can’t really do much about it without invading the region, pretty much killing everyone and everything that resists, and imposing martial law–hopefully without touching off WWIII in the process. The political will to do that does not exist, nor is it likely to exist in the foreseeable future.
Obama’s speech made me weep. I can’t believe we’re getting involved militarily in Iraq again. I can’t believe the awfulness of the situation over there either. ISIS really are monsters- genocidiers, barbarians, they are literally crucifying people they conquer, enslaving women, slaughtering everyone in their path… My cynical side says that really this is just an oilmanitarian crisis, but then again I don’t see any reason to disbelieve the reports of what ISIS has been doing.
The thought of the Warthogs going in and pumping 4000 rounds per minute into these assholes is cheering, much as I hate war. I bet I won’t be cheered by what comes afterwards, but I’m not going to dispute the Obama administration on this one.
I wonder just how all those people who were/are howling about the civilian casualties while fighting Hamas in Gaza are going to twist themselves into pretzels trying not to apply the same “principles” when fighting ISIS is going to start killing civilians.
