The war on ISIS.

[mister dog]

It looks like they are destroying anything that has any (sentimental) link with the Shiites. I find it hard to believe an Islamist group like ISIS profits from this, I really don't see how this (destroying everything) helps them. The people already fled, the government does almost nothing, no other country wants to step in. They can do whatever they want and what do they do? Destroy artefacts.

Saying you're fighting in the name of God and then go and blow up mosques build in his honor.. bit contradictory to say the least.

Reminds me of when the Christians took over Andalucia, they destroyed all the mosques of the mores and build churches on those spots. Hence we did it also but at least this kind of behavior dates from a couple of centuries ago. If it wasn't for guns, cars and explosives i think that's were these extremists like to live nowadays (the middle ages).

 

[sumbrownkid]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't they consider their struggle an existential one? In fact, is it not a question of a long-prophesied apocalyptic end-time showdown, winner-take-all?

Eh not really, in terms of this being an apocalyptical showdown. This is more of a "Hey you pray differently, though you do believe in Allah and Muhammad as his messenger and just about anything else in the Quran, I'm still going to murder you over the small difference in how you pray".

Shias consider their fight an existential one at least because they are by far outnumbered.

 

[SniperRed3]

In the middle east and all throughout the world, there are quite a few, shall we say sub genres of different religions. It's not as simple as we sort of believe in the same things so let's be friends. It's we disagree with everything you believe in I'm going to resort to violence to prove that I'm right. Same as Mormons are different from baptists, sort of thing you know

 

[giorgos21]

Behind every conflict in midlle east and africa is only one word.
CIA.
Bad Luck Brian knew.

 

[BobK]

Behind every conflict in midlle east and africa is only one word.
CIA.

Wait, what? Are you saying the CIA has been around for hundreds -- nay, thousands -- of years?

 

[mister dog]

They are really closing in on Baghdad it seems, look at all the contested towns in it's vicinity:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28193529

Looks like they almost have it surrounded.

 

[vasiliflame]

I heard the weather there is either Sunni or Shiite

 

[giorgos21]

Wait, what? Are you saying the CIA has been around for hundreds -- nay, thousands -- of years?

No.But after 2nd world war yes.

 

[KSaiyu]

No.But after 2nd world war yes.

Suddenly the world makes sense.

 

[BobK]

No.But after 2nd world war yes.

Of course you have copious sources to back up that statement, right? Care to share?

 

[giorgos21]

Of course you have copious sources to back up that statement, right? Care to share?

Just google it.You 'll find plenty.
http://listverse.com/2013/05/25/10-dirty-secret-cia-operations/

 

[Rage Racer]

The basic way to understand this situation is. In america if the republicans got kicked out of the government and they decided to form a massive redneck army and try to regain power These rednecks would be like what Isis is. They would be either called freedom fighters or terrorists

This is almost like what is happening now in Ukraine.

 

[BobK]

Okay, @giorgos21, let's try this again. You made a claim:

Behind every conflict in midlle east and africa is only one word.
CIA.

I asked you for sources and the best you can come up with is:

Just google it.You 'll find plenty.

followed by a link to an article listing ten shady things the CIA was allegedly involved in, only half of which involved the Middle East and none at all of which involved Africa. And "just google it" is not how it works. You made the claim, you provide the citations when asked.

Now I know that many of the things in that list were things that the CIA was indeed involved in. But that's hardly "every conflict in midlle[sic] east and africa".

 

[Castrol96]

All i'm gonna say is their Extremists, I also know Shiites but their is a huge difference compared to how they are out there!

 

[giorgos21]

Okay, @giorgos21, let's try this again. You made a claim:



I asked you for sources and the best you can come up with is:



followed by a link to an article listing ten shady things the CIA was allegedly involved in, only half of which involved the Middle East and none at all of which involved Africa. And "just google it" is not how it works. You made the claim, you provide the citations when asked.

Now I know that many of the things in that list were things that the CIA was indeed involved in. But that's hardly "every conflict in midlle[sic] east and africa".

Don't take it personally man.I couldn't possibly have proofs for everything CIA did.forget it.

 

[SniperRed3]

The Americans are in everything, I swear. I watched the news yesterday they were handing out food bags with American flags on.

 

[Bakemono36]

Right, 'cause Iraq was such a nice place to begin with. Run by such a nice man too.

By that logic, we should march into Iran, Russia, North Korea and China too. Its not our place to dispose leaders who we dont like, even if they arent very nice people.
Im of the mind that we should have never gotten into Iraq in the first place. People in that part of the world have been fighting a civil war for hundreds of years. Theyve been fighting so long, I dont think they even understand why theyre fighting anymore and theres nothing we can do to make them get along.

The Americans are in everything, I swear. I watched the news yesterday they were handing out food bags with American flags on.

Yup and the bigger problem you have is that theres people in this country who whine that we are spending too much money and the country is about to collapse due to debt, yet they are the first ones who want us to march off and fight someone else's wars.

 

[Dotini]

The Americans are in everything, I swear. I watched the news yesterday they were handing out food bags with American flags on.

Just because we are too tired and broke to actually fight right now doesn't mean we are not involved. It may be the best trick is to get our enemies to fight each other. We elevate ourselves by bringing all others down.

 

[sumbrownkid]

Suddenly the world makes sense.

Nobody expects the CIA inquistion!!

 

[TenEightyOne]

Nobody expects the CIA inquistion!!

Off-topic... two friends and I crashed a fancy dress party many years ago dressed as this very Inquisition. We were relying on the "no one expected us" gag to get us in and it worked. Life was a lot simpler before Islaaming was thought of.

 

[sumbrownkid]

@TenEightyOne: I shall now use the word Islaming in my vocabulary.

"Dad I'm not praying, I'm Islaming"

"These extremists are too hardcore in Islaming"

"Man I'm not sure if it's the month of Ramadan or Islaming"

"These Islamist be Islaming yo"

 

[prisonermonkeys]

ISIS have reportedly seized two Iraqi government facilities, one of which contains Hussein-era chemical weapons that were scheduled for destruction, but the stocks have degraded to the point where they cannot be used as weapons. The other reportedly contained small quantities of low-grade nuclear materials being used for research. It's unclear if the militants knew what the facilities contained, or if they targeted them specifically for that purpose.

 

[mister dog]

ISIS have reportedly seized two Iraqi government facilities, one of which contains Hussein-era chemical weapons that were scheduled for destruction, but the stocks have degraded to the point where they cannot be used as weapons. The other reportedly contained small quantities of low-grade nuclear materials being used for research. It's unclear if the militants knew what the facilities contained, or if they targeted them specifically for that purpose.

University of Mosul, here's the link:

http://www.ibtimes.com/terrorist-gr...ar-materials-iraqs-un-ambassador-said-1623930

Nice...Uranium in the hands of lunatics that want to destroy all that's western

 

[TenEightyOne]

ISIS have reportedly seized two Iraqi government facilities, one of which contains Hussein-era chemical weapons that were scheduled for destruction, but the stocks have degraded to the point where they cannot be used as weapons. The other reportedly contained small quantities of low-grade nuclear materials being used for research. It's unclear if the militants knew what the facilities contained, or if they targeted them specifically for that purpose.

I don't think there's too much concern about either. If my understanding is correct (and I'm prepared to be corrected ) then the chemical plant represents a risk only as a local environmental hazard rather than as a preparation facility (as you pretty much said).

The low-grade nuclear materials are, supposedly, useful only in a narrow industrial calibration context and aren't suitable for weaponisation (or for pre-weaponised refinement).

I suspect that the overall value of these installations lies in operational control rather than their particular assets... at least I hope that's right. With every year that passes the credibility of a small nuclear attack by "terrorists" increases.

 

[VolkswagenX]

I don't think there's too much concern about either. If my understanding is correct (and I'm prepared to be corrected ) then the chemical plant represents a risk only as a local environmental hazard rather than as a preparation facility (as you pretty much said).

The low-grade nuclear materials are, supposedly, useful only in a narrow industrial calibration context and aren't suitable for weaponisation (or for pre-weaponised refinement).

I suspect that the overall value of these installations lies in operational control rather than their particular assets... at least I hope that's right. With every year that passes the credibility of a small nuclear attack by "terrorists" increases.

Sssssht, people are supposed to think its dangerous and that the US should bomb some more to bring democracy.

 

[TenEightyOne]

Sssssht, people are supposed to think its dangerous and that the US should bomb some more to bring democracy.

Sorry about that, got a little "off message" there

 

[BobK]

So wait a minute -- those chemical weapons that everybody insisted didn't exist as part of the GWB crucifixion really did exist after all? The media lied to us?

Nah, no way they'd do that.

Edit: Changed "do" to "did" because of comprehension issues on the part of some people.

 

[Touring Mars]

Nuclear material of any kind poses a risk in the wrong hands, and it needn't be from a facility that is dedicated to weapons making or research either. A dirty bomb - or even the threat of one - has the potential to create significant disruption if it were targeted at certain places. A dirty bomb requires little to no advanced knowledge to make or use - just radioactive material of some description. The impact of a dirty bomb would be less spectacular i.e. not to the tastes of your average Islamic fundamentalist, and cause few casualties, but the potential economic impact of even a single dirty bomb attack in a large city could be devastasting.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

So wait a minute -- those chemical weapons that everybody insisted didn't exist as part of the GWB crucifixion really do exist after all?

No. They're old enough to have degraded past the point where they can be used, either as chemical weapons, or to reverse-engineer chemical weapons, which means that the core ingredients have broken down and mixed together to become something else. Part of the process of destroying chemical weapons is putting them in storage under controlled conditions to allow this to happen.

If they have been in storage long enough that this process has completed, then chances are that while they were Weapons of Mass Destruction once upon a time, they were completely unusable by March 2003.

 

[BobK]

No. They're old enough to have degraded past the point where they can be used, either as chemical weapons, or to reverse-engineer chemical weapons, which means that the core ingredients have broken down and mixed together to become something else. Part of the process of destroying chemical weapons is putting them in storage under controlled conditions to allow this to happen.

If they have been in storage long enough that this process has completed, then chances are that while they were Weapons of Mass Destruction once upon a time, they were completely unusable by March 2003.

Okay, so change "do" in my post to "did".