The reports are that 20,000 of the 24,000 Iraqi troops fighting to take Tikrit are Shi'i militias. If so, there is no Iraqi regular army that is large enough to fight ISIS, in the first place. The Iraqi army has collapsed, and it is not likely to be restored any time soon. I have also heard reports of ethnic cleansing in the battle for Tikrit, with Shi'i militias expelling Sunnis from their villages and confiscating their property. If that is the game plan, the Iraqi troops fighting ISIS are not going to get very far.
Yeah, well. Quite a bit could go wrong. And it is not altogether a laughing matter. There have been famous massacres of Shi'is by ISIS. It seems more than likely that there will now be revenge massacres going the other way--if the Iraqi army is successful. That would strengthen ISIS, and make any cooperation from the people of Mosul out of the question.
You know, supporting Assad to protect the status-quo sounds like the old American policy of supporting any brutal dictator in the region in the name of stability. That didn't turn out so well.
I don't think that the Obama Administration has a strategy concerning Syria or for confronting and defeating ISIS. And I don't think anyone else does either. Just saying what not to do is not helpful. (Just say no?) I don't see any good options in either case, and we may just have to wait for an opportunity to present itself in the future.
Geraldo is an idiot. If it weren't a hoodie, it would be something else. Saggy pants, dreads, afros, gold chains, whatever happens to be in style. The danger does not come from a piece of your clothing, it comes from the color of your skin. You can't change that. So, what are parents supposed to tell their adolescent sons? Don't be black?
The reports are that 20,000 of the 24,000 Iraqi troops fighting to take Tikrit are Shi'i militias. If so, there is no Iraqi regular army that is large enough to fight ISIS, in the first place. The Iraqi army has collapsed, and it is not likely to be restored any time soon. I have also heard reports of ethnic cleansing in the battle for Tikrit, with Shi'i militias expelling Sunnis from their villages and confiscating their property. If that is the game plan, the Iraqi troops fighting ISIS are not going to get very far.
Yeah, well. Quite a bit could go wrong. And it is not altogether a laughing matter. There have been famous massacres of Shi'is by ISIS. It seems more than likely that there will now be revenge massacres going the other way--if the Iraqi army is successful. That would strengthen ISIS, and make any cooperation from the people of Mosul out of the question.
You know, supporting Assad to protect the status-quo sounds like the old American policy of supporting any brutal dictator in the region in the name of stability. That didn't turn out so well.
Hey, Juan! You are doing a great job. Keep it up. We need to hear your voice.
I don't think that the Obama Administration has a strategy concerning Syria or for confronting and defeating ISIS. And I don't think anyone else does either. Just saying what not to do is not helpful. (Just say no?) I don't see any good options in either case, and we may just have to wait for an opportunity to present itself in the future.
WWI was devastating for everyone. Germany was also blockaded by the British navy during the war. As a result, one million Germans died of starvation.
Geraldo is an idiot. If it weren't a hoodie, it would be something else. Saggy pants, dreads, afros, gold chains, whatever happens to be in style. The danger does not come from a piece of your clothing, it comes from the color of your skin. You can't change that. So, what are parents supposed to tell their adolescent sons? Don't be black?