Video reportedly shows beheading of reporter Steven Sotloff by ISIS

Well, Rickity, if you feel that strongly, enlist.

Foreign policy can't be dictated by beheadings. If you set your foreign policy according to reactionary behavior, then you end up like Israel -- with an endless conflict that goes nowhere.

There's a good reason hostages don't usually determine our foreign policy decisions. If you look at the bigger picture, we have a lot of practical considerations involved.

Currently, we've done a few bombing runs. We've also throw some arms to the Kurds as well as advisors. The limited approach is being taken mostly because 1) we're already in a ton of debt currently, and 2) Iraq has demonstrated that it isn't capable of defending itself without our help despite how long we've been there.

The Kurds are a comparably much better investment than the official central government. Unlike the Shiites, they have a cohesive and well-organized society that has shown it can defend itself quite well if necessary.

What becomes of the rest of Iraq is unknown, but the Kurds seem like they should have their own country by now. For all practical purposes, they do.

And as far as full scale invasion goes, what's the end game? We could defeat ISIS relatively easily, but what do we do after that? America doesn't have much trouble destroying an enemy, but it seems to suck pretty badly at nation-building.

Now, you could make the argument that we could just go in and kill off ISIS and then leave, but that would just leave things open for a power vacuum that Iran would be more than happy to fill. As things currently stand, Iran has a lot more to gain from removing ISIS than we do, so that might also be part of our hesitation.

 

Right, and what about all those Muslims with masters in Islam who aren't having fun chopping people's heads off. You just want to focus on a handful of mischief - makers.

 

No, I don't think Obama is "doing it out of spite for racial reasons". I don't think spite is the right word. I don't think he is childish, but he is quick to lump on the race bandwagon. Holder has been quoted as looking out for "his people", and to send federal law enforcement to investigate the death of a black man, whereas not so much when the dead person is white. Deny that if you will, but it is fact. The race card is played often by this administration.

 

theres no denying that but so- called white ppl have the police to watch their back, this is where Holder kind of addresses the imbalance.

 

He already is sending in ground troops. Just sent in another 350. But you believe we should do nothing and just allow them to continue killing Americans and attacking us?

 

How long are we supposed to wait? HE is the COMMANDER IN CHIEF, HE is supposed to COMMAND not wait for the Republicans to tell him what to do. The fact is he has been told for years he MUST do something and he has not and this is the culmination of it. He was specifically warned a year ago and he is still without a strategy.

I'll tell you what he should do he should step down so we can at least give Biden a try at maybe he WILL come up with a strategy and not be afraid to use it.

 

Yes we do, we know that a year ago he got the full intelligence report which specifically warned that this was going to happen and ISIS needed to be stopped. And a year later he tells the world he has no strategy.

He should step down and get out of the way, the longer he remains in office the more danger we face.

 

It's a complicated issue. For one thing, I think the threat of ISIS is fairly overblown, and so do many in the Pentagon. We can't be the world's policeman, nor can we negotiate with terrorists like good ol' Ronnie Reagan did. I have no interest in assisting Assad's regime, whom they're really fighting.

 

Have you entertained the possibility that there are no military or diplomatic options that would achieve a positive and lasting outcome?

 

Why do you even bother asking for things that will never happen?

 

America's first mistake was giving control of Iran back to the Iranians. We kicked their arses so let's take control of the country until they learn to play with others in that big sandbox over there. We are still occupying Korea and Germany. Should have pushed China and the N Koreans all the way back to the Chinese border and given S Korea control with stipulations of course. When you defeat the enemy, you reap the benefits, been like that since time began and up till this day and age.

The end game? Here is the end game. We wipe any and all islamic hardliners off the face of the earth and take control. The end game you ask? Here is the real end game, we live in peace without fear like with the 11 or so missing airliners from Tripoli airport. A few of those jets are the big Airbus' that have the capability of reaching all the way across the Atlantic and landing, or should I say crashing into the buiulding where you and I work. There will always be brave men and women who will stand up for this country (unlike a few members here) and take the fight to them. Will you? I am 60 years old, do you want me to enlist again? Sorry, the US Government has an age limit and I am passed that. However, I will do what I can as a Rickety Plumber such as civil defense like during WWII.

 

I actually agree. Wouldn't bother me in the least if we encircled the entire area ISIS is inhabiting and rolled inward from every direction destroying everything in our path. Then leave. Do kt again every couple a years until they get the hint.
Even that strategy wouldn't solve the problems but their recruits might think twice. Perhaps they would begin, someday, to understand we will not tolerate their religion of peace.
Doing nothing will surely not help.

 

This is usually kept quiet in the flaming media - but Sotloff was Jewish, had dual citizenship in Israel. Foley was also a devout Christian.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/obscuring-heritage-sotloff-quietly-observed-jewish-customs-source-says/

 

me thinks the so-called black man in office be a racist.

you on that......

the black thugs thinks it all fun and games til

somebody get a couple bullets in the head.

then they want to cry racism.

if the thugs don't start no trouble won't be no trouble.

it all on the thugs.

 

Obama has no idea how to handle this problem, or any other involving American foreign policy. He himself said immediately after he was elected that Islam would cease being our enemy because he was going to show them that he, therefore America, understands their plight. He said the Islamic world would look at America in a better light because of him being elected.

He just can't imagine that his world view is wrong. He has surrounded himself with advisors who hold the same erroneous world view. Now he doesn't know what to do. He's overwhelmed. Plus he's too prideful to admit it.

 

I am still trying to figure out just how that (supposedly) proves that ISIS is no longer a threat to the US...

 

I saw Obama on the news this morning stating something along the lines of the second beheading would not intimidate America and that justice would be served.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-strategy-to-deal-with-militants-9707821.html

I found that turn of phrase quite strange.
I don't think ISIS is trying to intimidate America into inaction, I think it is trying to provoke them into action.
Surely the US administration knows this...so why use those words?

I was wondering if it was because if action takes place after intimidation, it is seen as strong and righteous. This is a well established social narrative to sell to a population.
However a weaker enemy that still wants to fight may require deeper analysis?

 

It's not complicated, they want to kill us so we kill them first and no the threat is not overblown and many at the Pentagon do not think that they have been warning about it for over a year. And if we aren't the world's policeman who is especially when it becomes to protecting ourselves and our own interest, who do you expect to do that?

 

So we should just surrender?

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Don't be so sure, even Democrats are starting to question his leadership and he certainly doesn't appear to like the job other than the perks he gets.

 

What does a state of "surrender" look like here?

Is it a lack of individual retaliation for the beheadings?
Is is a lack of an invasion of Syria, and a redeployment of troops to Iraq?
Do you think ISIS will invade America?

Help me understand what surrender looks like

Sure his supporters, myself included, are dissapointed by his lethargy...but that's far cry from asking him to step down. Look what it took for Nixon to resign. Obama is even more obstinate that Tricky Dick.

Right now, it's only a few Democrats, and all the usual righties, who've been asking for the last 6 years for a resignation. That's a fantasy contrived by conservative media to fire up the base.

 

MacArthur was fired for a good reason. We had no interest in starting World War 3. I think things have worked out pretty well for South Korea with the course we took instead.

As far as Iran goes, things for them would have probably been better with Mossadegh, but we and the British ousted him for the Shah, and then the revolution ousted him for the Ayatollah. In short, forcing Westernization on countries can sometimes backfire.

Good luck with that. Ending Islamic extremism is like ending evil itself. It will always exist.

It's much more practical to work with foreign governments against terrorism, which generally involves a limited approach.

 

Doing nothing would be better than going in and then leaving.

If we wipe out ISIS but don't establish a presence afterward, Iran will capitalize on it.

 

I think that you probably don't get that most of the world, including the Arab world is against ISIS... Now they are threatening both Russia and India.

I think that ISIS is probably already in the US .. at least in small numbers.. But, I don't want to give them power by running scared. We all should be trying to kill them, not give them power over us.

 

I think you know "ISIS" members or whatever terrorist group you think are opposed by so many, to date have not complained or retaliated in some manner, would simply go back to blending in with whatever area they came from. Those that put up with this over the centuries, are not going to allow you to kill them, but leave them alone to raise the next generation of terrorist.

 

That's the reason why the majority of people despise the US elites and politicians. First you create the conditions for the extremists to strive because of your own geostrategic reasons (eliminate Assad in Syria) and when things go terribly wrong - do nothing and let sub humans, that's the only word I have for ISIL, slaughter thousands and thousand of innocent people while you eat popcorn and watch it on telly. But hey, the very same guys your country armed and trained beheaded two Americans. More to come.