So we’re clear: Turkey gave up on the idea of entering the EU a long time ago. Erdoğan, Davutoğlu, et. al. are no longer working towards that goal, and have over the last decade or so overseen a “neo-Ottoman” pivot towards the country’s immediate neighbours.
That is absolutely not true.
Officially their goal is still to become a member of the EU by 2023:
Well played! And thank you. I’ll try to dig up the article I read that, IIRC, claimed the exact opposite - I think it was a profile of either Erdoğan or Davutoğlu, in either Foreign Policy or in the New Yorker. A quick googling run doesn’t really turn up anything stronger than that, at one point, Erdoğan briefly flirted with the idea of joining the SCO instead (though I guess that’s all over now!).
Why doesn’t the US just pay ISIS to fuck off ?
We could also try sending a very nice, handwritten note to them.
Everyone has their price. Most of them just want a shag. Give them enough for that and the front lines will thin out in no time.
You obviously haven’t read the stories of ISIL members looking for 16 year old girls on the Internet and convincing them to travel to Syria.
A few western women won’t satisfy an army of thousands.
That’s why they have Yazidi sex slaves.
While I have my imperfections, I don’t think I do. Ask me to run naked through Times Square for X dollars, I’m not going to do it. Doesn’t matter what X is. In this way, I’m just like most of my fellow humans who happen to be ISIL soldiers or leaders.
For the minority of ISIL leaders who do have a price, the CIA is undoubtedly hard at work trying to pay it.
Hell, I’d do that for $1000, less if I can wear a mask on my face. But no amount of money would make me do the sick shit that ISIS is doing:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/04/16/islamic-states-war-crimes-against-yazidi-women-documented/