(June 18, 2014 at 8:36 pm)Minimalist Wrote: Borowitz:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/bo...20%2885%29

Quote:WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Congressional leaders left the White House on Wednesday “deeply frustrated” that President Obama had not found a swift resolution to the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites that began in the seventh century A.D.

After meeting for more than an hour with the President in the Oval Office, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed disappointment that Mr. Obama “came up empty” when asked for a plan to heal the rift between the two religious groups, which began in the year 632.

But he still has to send in troops and drones to defend our interests...which are what in Iraq exactly?

Beats me.

(June 18, 2014 at 5:17 pm)Pickup_shonuff Wrote: Message to countries that wish to minimize corruption in the development of their nations: DO NOT seek the U.S. to fund your project.

1. Civilization can continue without democracy, or the good will of America, but it can not continue without a good efficient civil service.

2. Ergo good civil service is much more important than elections, outward expressions of democracy, or the good will of America.

3. If you already have a functioning civil service, keep it because it most will certainly be much better than the one the U.S. will try to hoist on you if you allow the US to get rid of yours.

4. If you don't have any civil service at all, you civil service is still likely to be better one the the one the U.S. will try to hoist on you in the name of "nation building".

Borowitz....again a little too close to the truth.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/bo...20%2888%29

Quote:BAGHDAD (The Borowitz Report)—In a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the importance of forming a unity government in Iraq but refused to commit to a timetable for creating one in the United States.

He has a point. It is always easy to preach, especially to foreigners, but is seldom possible to actually do.

One thing is certain, the supply of American hot air will long outlast the American power, American wealth, American prosperity, or american dream.

Perhaps we need to import some democracy?

(June 18, 2014 at 8:38 pm)Pickup_shonuff Wrote: But he still has to send in troops and drones to defend our interests...which are what in Iraq exactly?

A stable world oil market, and the prevention of the establishment of a state which will nurture terrorism, ostensibly.

I personally am against our intervention because I don't think we can accomplish either goal with the power we are willing to expend.

I personally think this recent episode in Iraq, while embarrassing for us, is not only not dangerous to our core interests, it is not even really that dangerous to the regime we left behind in Iraq.

I personally think ISIS is a stupid mob with bazookas that has far overplayed its own hand. It won't need to be defeated by the feeble and cowardly Iraqi forces. It would collapse under the weight because as a jihadist organization it should not have attempt to control large territory or population while fighting established civil administrations. ISIS is trying to do just that. A jihadist organization derive its strength from popular discontent with civil administration. Once a jihadist organization starts to over reach and try to become a civil administration in control of large territory, it would need to feed the people, run the public services, etc, better then the administration it fought against. Otherwise popular discontent will simply transfer from the enemies of the jihadists to the jihadists themselves,many the jihadist movement will collapse. Jihadist organizations such as ISIS are hardly the type that would attract intellectuals, skilled technocrats, and other elements of society needed to out perform iraq's civil administration. ISIS will soon start to collapse in on itself even as it tries to make further advances upon the Iraqi administration.

Quote:A stable world oil market, and the prevention of the establishment of a state which will nurture terrorism, ostensibly.

We're the ones firing missiles willy-nilly at anyone we deem a "terrorist." Some people might look on us as the "terrorists."

This is a religious war. We are not going to stop this from happening period. With an unstable government, no amount of soldiers will stabilize the area.