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 Breotan wrote:

 djones520 wrote:
And if the Iraqi government has welcomed them, then who are we to say otherwise?

There is so much wrong with this sentiment I don't even know where to start.

I think he was referring to Iran, not ISIS.

Iran is a major sponsor of terrorists groups, Hezballah and Hamas to pick the two we're most familiar with. Iran is one of the main reasons Lebanon is the hole it is. Iran also provides support to other groups as well.

Our withdrawing from the region left a power vacuum that Iran is filling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_state-sponsored_terrorism

Iran is NOT the good guys.

 Breotan wrote:
Iran is a major sponsor of terrorists groups, Hezballah and Hamas to pick the two we're most familiar with. Iran is one of the main reasons Lebanon is the hole it is. Iran also provides support to other groups as well.

Our withdrawing from the region left a power vacuum that Iran is filling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_and_state-sponsored_terrorism

Iran is NOT the good guys.

I'm quite familiar with what Iran is, and that they are not the good guys. I was just making sure you knew who it was he was referring to (it seemed like there might have been some confusion, but obviously that was not the case).

I think we can conveniently forget Iran's policies regarding sponsoring terrorist groups since they are against ISIS.

It's not like we are also ignoring Assad and his war on his own people whilst we go after ISIS targets in Syria.

That's the reality of the middle east. There aren't many good guys over there, but without local assistance you can't get anything done unless you want to put hundreds of thousands of boots on the ground, and even then it should be obvious that doesn't always work out. Which means if you want to get anything done, sometimes you have to work with the lesser evils.

Well, we just wrapped up our "combat mission" (I'm sure that means I won't be getting mortared now...) in Afghanistan yesterday. Now we've got another 100,000 boots to put on the ground in Iraq...

We are talking Diplomacy and Geopolitics. The word Good Guys and the word Bad Guys should never be used as that is irrelevant.

A wise man once said: "The enemy of my enemy is my ally of convenience."

Wise men say a lot of gak that can be used to pseudo justify anything.

 MrDwhitey wrote:
Wise men say a lot of gak that can be used to pseudo justify anything.

The reality is though that Iran is an ally the US might actually need right now against ISIS if they're willing to actually commit, which is more than their other allies in the region atm. If the US is serious about 'no boots on the ground' (yeah, right) then Iran is the only likely option. And, hey, they want to stick their hand in the meat grinder, more power to 'em.

Considering the 82nd Airborne's putting 1000 guys in, I'd say "no boots on the ground" is a memory at this point.

 KalashnikovMarine wrote:
Considering the 82nd Airborne's putting 1000 guys in, I'd say "no boots on the ground" is a memory at this point.

BIAP is expanding


Edit

Update. The guy who did the beheading for TV has in turn been beheaded himself

Proxy war between Iran and Saudi's, yemen may fall to shiite rebels backed by iran

we will see what saudi's do about this

Prediction is a war between iran and saudi's in the next 5-10 years

Rebels has the President captured. I can actually see Saudi rolling in for an assist

 mitch_rifle wrote:
Proxy war between Iran and Saudi's, yemen may fall to shiite rebels backed by iran

we will see what saudi's do about this

Prediction is a war between iran and saudi's in the next 5-10 years

Whoever loses, we win?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 djones520 wrote:
Well, we just wrapped up our "combat mission" (I'm sure that means I won't be getting mortared now...) in Afghanistan yesterday. Now we've got another 100,000 boots to put on the ground in Iraq...

No thanks. Bring them home and put them on OUR border.

Oh look the Saudis are building a 600 mile fence...
http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-is-building-a-600-mile-great-wall-to-shield-from-isis-2015-1


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 MrDwhitey wrote:
Wise men say a lot of gak that can be used to pseudo justify anything.

Especially if you buy us a drink!

I imagine more or less many many innocent people will die and the schism in the islamic world between Sunni and shiite will explode into a level of religious violence which hasn't been seen for a few centuries.

Terrorism will only be fueled and a hell of alot more people are gonna die before it's done

Maybe it's a war that needs to happen, so much violence and destruction that the islamic world looks at itself and sees the need for reform and steps away from religion and have a type of age of enlightenment and focus on things like science,education,tolerance and democracy

My prediction though is that people will never stop killing each other and the violence will continue into the forseeable future

But you can hope right?

 Frazzled wrote:

Oh look the Saudis are building a 600 mile fence...
http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-is-building-a-600-mile-great-wall-to-shield-from-isis-2015-1

I thought fences don't work.... WHY ARE THEY WASTING THEIR MONEY!!!

 mitch_rifle wrote:
I imagine more or less many many innocent people will die and the schism in the islamic world between Sunni and shiite will explode into a level of religious violence which hasn't been seen for a few centuries.

Terrorism will only be fueled and a hell of alot more people are gonna die before it's done

Maybe it's a war that needs to happen, so much violence and destruction that the islamic world looks at itself and sees the need for reform and steps away from religion and have a type of age of enlightenment and focus on things like science,education,tolerance and democracy

My prediction though is that people will never stop killing each other and the violence will continue into the forseeable future

But you can hope right?

So, basically they're going through their own "30 Years' War" or about to?? Well, I'll be glad to sit on my porch and watch it from here, provided we don't aid anyone and sit back pushing the fighting where it belongs.

 whembly wrote:

I thought fences don't work.... WHY ARE THEY WASTING THEIR MONEY!!!

Yeah, if films have taught us anything, they should have gone with Giant Robots instead.

 Compel wrote:

 whembly wrote:

I thought fences don't work.... WHY ARE THEY WASTING THEIR MONEY!!!

Yeah, if films have taught us anything, they should have gone with Giant Robots instead.

With a Super Oil Tanker Club

Good news for once. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30991612
I wonder if all the Allies telling them Kobane's fall was inevitable emboldened the residents.

That's excellent

Except ISIS has to inspire to AQ recent achievement accomplished in Yemen.

Gulf of Aden and southern part of the Red Sea might become "hostile" to some shipping now

The kurds seem to be the best hope the region has right now.

 Jihadin wrote:
That's excellent

Except ISIS has to inspire to AQ recent achievement accomplished in Yemen.

Gulf of Aden and southern part of the Red Sea might become "hostile" to some shipping now

What's up with that anyway? Is the Yemen revolution a good thing, a bad thing or some other thing?

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:

 Jihadin wrote:
That's excellent

Except ISIS has to inspire to AQ recent achievement accomplished in Yemen.

Gulf of Aden and southern part of the Red Sea might become "hostile" to some shipping now

What's up with that anyway? Is the Yemen revolution a good thing, a bad thing or some other thing?

Depends on the new government. The group that took over do not like the US/West. Also the new King of Saudi have no desire to have a AQ back government on that border. Means trouble for Saudi. So Yemen either a launching off point for a ground offensive into Saudi or shipping might get targeted in Aden and Red Sea.

Yemen Extremists in the North, Somali pirates to the South

The big news in Canada right now is that it's been revealed Canadian special forces have been in at least three firefights with ISIS in Iraq. The first Western nation to do so.

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:
The big news in Canada right now is that it's been revealed Canadian special forces have been in at least three firefights with ISIS in Iraq. The first Western nation to do so.

I'm sure they were sufficiently polite.

 Easy E wrote:
We are talking Diplomacy and Geopolitics. The word Good Guys and the word Bad Guys should never be used as that is irrelevant.

Especially as outside of books and movies , these two things don't exist except in the imagination. There are people who want things and people who want other things.Worlds' policeman should also be consigned to the rubbish bin.

 Bullockist wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
We are talking Diplomacy and Geopolitics. The word Good Guys and the word Bad Guys should never be used as that is irrelevant.

Especially as outside of books and movies , these two things don't exist except in the imagination.

Diplomacy and Geopolitics?

 Breotan wrote:

Our withdrawing from the region left a power vacuum that Iran is filling.

No, the US decision to remove Saddam from power left a major power vacuum in the region, one which US forces couldn't fill forever.

 whembly wrote:

I thought fences don't work.... WHY ARE THEY WASTING THEIR MONEY!!!

The same reason US citizens want the US to waste its money: the creation of a false sense of security.