Quote:
Originally Posted by SF718
First, apologies for the snap. Sailor Jerry stopped by and wife was out of town. This combination only makes me want to look for a troll fight... i guess it offends, but I'd rather that then drive...
I think we should consider something radical actually..... Let them all sort it out on their own. Why exactly are we spilling US blood and treasure being played by both sides. Why are we supporting a Shia dominated government in Iraq while throwing shit at Iran? Why are we cozening up to Saudi Arabia when 11 of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi's? Why are we letting Saudi Arabia get away with the threatening statement that they are going to divest 750 BILLION in US investments if we allow for investigation into their possible 9/11 involvement? I say F them all.
But to think that spitting insults, paining an entire religion/culture as evil, is in any way a step forward, is a serious error that will just keep us where we are indefinitely. I am 100% down with the annihilation of IS, no doubt. But when are we going to become a nation of chess players versus a nation of checkers players? When are we going to take a serious look back and start thinking 2-3 moves ahead?
I guess a good place to start is for us to let nature run its course in the middle east. Let them decide, 100% their own destiny. Its going to be bloody, its going to be ugly, yes. But that is where we are at. I say not a single drop of US blood should be spilled over there, not a single dime spent. Its offensive to me the idea that my bro's our dudes have died for a government that bows to threats to Saudi Arabia.
So my solution i guess is ... fuck em all, its their problem. OF COURSE, if you attack us, there will be substantial consequences. But if we leave them to fight their own battles, they might become to busy to even dream of attacking the west.
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as tempting as it is, someone else (Russia, China...) will fill the vacuum.
Maybe we should play more than chess but Go instead.
Not a battle of attrition, but getting the most gain with the least effort.
Perhaps Iran got it right all along with their proxies.
Also by the time nature runs its course, are we willing to accept multiple regimes dominated by Islamists that set their conquest next to the West?
(of course, IMHOO, after seeing the trend of hardliners such as ISIS' practicing takfiri or labeling fellow muslim as apostates, a unified Islamist/jihadist/khalifah front is very unlikely. They are experts at killing each other and fatwa-ing one another till kingdom come...while blaming the west all along)
Furthermore, leaving them alone (containment) is also a moot point by now, since thousands of foreign fighters are flocking out of Iraq and Syria. With the recent almost simultaneous attack in Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and UK, the virus has spread far and wide.
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/sites/...b_120916_0.pdf
As far as the topic title, I still believe deradicalization/disengagement has its place to convert the radicals before they turn to full blown committed suicide bombers. The use of defectors' testimony as counter-narrative can a powerful tool. Here are some good readings for empirical data:
Eyewitness Accounts from Recent Defectors from Islamic State: Why They Joined, What They Saw, Why They Quit
by Anne Speckhard and Ahmet S. Yayla
http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/.../view/475/html
http://time.com/4401066/isis-defectors-terror/
https://www.researchgate.net/publica...rist_Caliphate
oh.... and counter threat financing. Sure, the mow-plow-stab tactic may be low cost, but higher profile attacks require $$$. In this regards, cutting diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar just might make and impact.