In early August 1990, the Iraqi Army executed a nearly flawless operation to seize and occupy Kuwait. Iraqi forces had grown increasingly lethal in the final year of the Iran-Iraq War, and they brushed aside Kuwaiti resistance with little difficulty.
What came next is well-known; the Iraqis hunkered down in the belief that the United States and its allies would shy away from a direct military confrontation over the future of Kuwait. The Bush administration assembled an impressive coalition of forces, and tossed the Iraqis from Kuwait with trivial casualties.
But at the time, many in the United States worried that Saddam Hussein would order his army south, into Saudi Arabia.
Senior Pentagon officials described the Islamic State (Isis) militant group as an “apocalyptic” organisation that posed an “imminent threat”.
Defense Secretary spoke alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey .
Terror network in Iraq and Syria is 'an imminent threat to every interest we have,' he said
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North Korea, (which I hear you're a big fan of) also has done more heinous acts than ISIS, yet none of the Hawks are campaigning on invading and bringing them democracy.
[h=1]Washington’s slow retreat from the world[/h]
It seems hardly a day passes without another reminder that after six decades serving as the world’s policeman, the US is now retreating from the world. When Ramadi falls, the White House shrugs; when Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine, Washington offers only the bare minimum in support; when the Bashar Al Assad regime uses gas, it goes unpunished, and when Muammar Gaddafi threatens to wipe out an entire city, the US is content to “lead from behind”.
The direction of travel is abundantly clear.
The Obama administration’s biggest si, is one of omission: taking a make-it-up-as-you-go-along approach to foreign policy. If “indispensable” America is no longer affordable or practical, then better to be clear about the limits of America’s appetite for engagement than to send mixed signals: don’t set red lines in Syria and then fail to enforce them; or lead Ukraine to believe America has its back only to fail to come up with the goods
It seems hardly a day passes without another reminder that after six decades serving as the world’s policeman, the US is now retreating from the world. When Ramadi falls, the White House shrugs; when Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine, Washington offers only the bare minimum in support; when the Bashar Al Assad regime uses gas, it goes unpunished, and when Muammar Gaddafi threatens to wipe out an entire city, the US is content to “lead from behind”.
The direction of travel is abundantly clear.
The Obama administration’s biggest si, is one of omission: taking a make-it-up-as-you-go-along approach to foreign policy. If “indispensable” America is no longer affordable or practical, then better to be clear about the limits of America’s appetite for engagement than to send mixed signals: don’t set red lines in Syria and then fail to enforce them; or lead Ukraine to believe America has its back only to fail to come up with the goods
I made a joke based on a show I watched about North Korea being hardcore in to math. Pretty much the only thing I've ever said about being a fan of, lol. And it was 100% a joke. The fact they think it wasn't is just desperation on their part.
As for North Korea, if they were the individuals involved in 9/11, I'm sure we would have attacked them. Obviously as information grew, Iraq and Saddam was not really much to do about anything when it came to that, but still... there was a much more urgent case against the middle east and Al-Qaeda than North Korea, who's honestly done nothing in the US except threaten to stop a dumb video.
But honestly, I'm all for blowing up North Korea and the Middle East. Anyone who proves to have absolutely no value for the future of humanity should just be taken care of before they become a serious threat. Preventative maintenance. Hell, I'd even support actions against China to prevent them from growing to be a military threat to the US. Isolationism is a complete joke. Survival of the fittest. Sitting back letting countries that are obviously not going to be cooperative in the future and let them accumulate weapons, training, education, etc and leave them for our future generations is just ridiculous. The world has never been and will never be as peaceful as you hippies... I mean Libertarians, believe it is.
And when I say preventative maintenance, I don't mean just mass genocide. But preventing them from being a threat. If that involves taking out those who are against that, then that's that. But not, just icing entire communities for no reason.
The sheer numbers are compelling. According to a new report from the UN security council, more than 25,000 foreign fighters are taking part in jihadi conflicts, with more and more joining in recent months. They come from more than 100 countries, meaning that half the countries in the world are providing volunteers for groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida. If the fighting currently raging in Syria and Iraq cannot then be defined as an international, or at least internationalised conflict, it is hard to know what is.
The international perspective includes not only the composition of the fighting groups, but the perceived risk if and when these ideologically committed and battle-hardened individuals decide to go home. The UN report notes that they pose “an immediate and long-term threat”, giving credence – if any were needed – to the long-standing fears of western intelligence services – including MI5 and MI6 – that returning fighters from Syria and Iraq could bring back with them not only a world view inimical to the country whose nationality they bear, but the military training to act in pursuit of their anti-western aims.
The report will only increase the pressure on western leaders, starting with Barack Obama, to take more aggressive measures against Isis and other jihadi groups, in the name of both national and international security. The fall of theIraqi city of Ramadi to Isis forces earlier this month, and the Isis flag now flying above the emblematic Syrian fortress at Palmyra, together precipitated an outpouring of criticism against Obama for passivity while western civilisation burned. His US critics claimed that the US policy of air strikes, in alliance with the Gulf states and others, had been proved to be ineffective. There was now no alternative, they argued, to putting at least some American boots on the ground. Obama’s attempt at war by remote-control had failed.
The international perspective includes not only the composition of the fighting groups, but the perceived risk if and when these ideologically committed and battle-hardened individuals decide to go home. The UN report notes that they pose “an immediate and long-term threat”, giving credence – if any were needed – to the long-standing fears of western intelligence services – including MI5 and MI6 – that returning fighters from Syria and Iraq could bring back with them not only a world view inimical to the country whose nationality they bear, but the military training to act in pursuit of their anti-western aims.
The report will only increase the pressure on western leaders, starting with Barack Obama, to take more aggressive measures against Isis and other jihadi groups, in the name of both national and international security. The fall of theIraqi city of Ramadi to Isis forces earlier this month, and the Isis flag now flying above the emblematic Syrian fortress at Palmyra, together precipitated an outpouring of criticism against Obama for passivity while western civilisation burned. His US critics claimed that the US policy of air strikes, in alliance with the Gulf states and others, had been proved to be ineffective. There was now no alternative, they argued, to putting at least some American boots on the ground. Obama’s attempt at war by remote-control had failed.
North Korea is a Sovereign Nation that has not exported terrorism. I'm not certain what "heinous acts" you speak of, and it's not plausible whatever they may have done is worse than what ISIS is doing (unless you're going back to the 50's)
North Korea does nothing more than talk the talk, they certainly don't walk the walk.
ISIS and Saddam and UBL and Hezbollah and Hamas and al-Q, totally different story
