U.S. airstrikes in Iraq: Is it the best thing to be doing right now?

Yepper! ISIS is an offshoot of Alqueda, our sworn enemy, and the enemy of all civilization, all religions except theirs. The idea after the attempted eradication of the Jews during WWII was “NEVER AGAIN!” And we must follow through with this.

It’s better than nothing, but I hope Obama has the balls to hit them hard. Little pissant strikes aren’t going to accomplish anything. And yes we’re responsible for the whole fing mess. You break it you own it. And Bush the almighty sage definitely broke it.

The last question pretty much answers itself. The United States as well as the overwhelming majority of the Iraqi populace look back on Sadam with wistful nostalgia. The United States created the current mess in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Libya. Remember Colin Powell’s Pottery Barn comment. “you break it, you own it”.? Well, the consequences for invading Iraq were not only foreseeable but completely predictable And now things have reached a point that the unraveling of the region is beyond our control. It is beyond our control because just as with Vietnam, war in Iraq is no longer politically feasible. And just as in Vietnam, airstrikes are not going to do the trick. We’ve actually been pretty lucky that the disintegration of the region is proceeding in such an orderly fashion, but it might be a good idea to buy up some oil stocks, and prepare for gas pump price displays spinning like the wheels in slot machines. I’ve been harping since day one that the decision to invade Iraq was the single greatest strategic blunder in the history of the United States. Why stop now?

NO!

Genocide.

I doubt there is a better response at this time.

All I keep thinking is why do we think we can fix things now? We keep fucking things up in the middle east. I always had leaned in the direction of not going into Iraq. saddam had sme horrible things about him, but women could get educated in that country and he basically rules in a fairly secular way.

I said it a long time ago, we need to go into those countries and truly occupy them, I was really thinking of Afghanastan at the time, if we want things to drastically change. When I went to Germany 30 years ago our military bases seem to be everywhere. Maybe because I stayed on base it felt that way. I know a lot of Germans were not very happy Americans were everywhere. I constantly saw our military planes flying above, we were present. I think we helped shape West Germany, although I do think the task was easier, because Germany had been a democracy, they were well educated, were not round the bend religious, and they were capitalists at heart.

Or, we can decide it is none of our business, and stop interferring. Stop being so ethnocentric and let the world sort through their own problems. I don’t think we are going to fix things now. I used to have great hope for peace in the middle east, and now I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore.

As to answering the main questions directly, I think all or none. You have to be ready to start world war three I think if a country like America is going to start dropping bombs.

ISIS is only powerful because of the support, backing and Intel they are receiving from the former Baathists of the Saddam regime. You know, the guys we have been ignoring and allowing the present government (and I use the term loosely) of Iraq to ignore and alienate.

Again, another fuck up that we think we can solve with guns and bombs.

I’m for the airstrikes. Let the Iraqis fight on the ground for their own country. It’s minimal risk to us, and we should do what we can to prevent genocide without resorting to occupation and ground forces. It would be nice if other NATO countries stepped up to help, so it’s a genuine international coalition, instead of the US playing world cop.

I also think Obama did the right thing by waiting things out for a while. It put pressure on the Iraqi government to get its shit together.

I guess you mean the attempt to “contain but not destroy” ISIS. It’s for show!!! It’s a very expensive show too.

Airstrikes don’t seem a good idea to me and I am glad my country will not be involved. If we bomb ISIS we are indirectly helping Assad who is fighting them in Syria. We are also seen to be taking sides in the sectarian strife in Iraq by attacking allies of the Sunnis opposed to Maliki’s Shia government. It is a mess and it is best to keep a distance from it. I would support air intervention for humanitarian purposes only.

I’d rather we go full-bore than wussy foot around. Vietnam taught us that. Saddam needed to go, we should’ve stayed.

@KNOWITALL The lesson I take away from reading about Vietnam is not to have troops on the ground in the middle of another country’s civil war. The other lesson is that a little foreign aid can save the US a ton of money and thousands of lives. Ho Chi Minh approached the Russians for support only AFTER approaching Truman for aid and being ignored.

@KNOWITALL Actually, Vietnam taught us that generals should fight wars, not micro-managing presidents in Washington. It should also have taught us that if you’re going to fight a war, fight to win. Don’t fight to merely not lose. These were the mistakes of Vietnam and no one should use Vietnam as an example of what should be done, or should have been done, since.

Read somewhere on the web (sorry, I cannot point you to it, I was kind of speed reading articles) that there is a good chance the Saudi Arabia is on the ISIS radar. They are well armed and equipped, only hours away from the border now, better trained and disciplined than the Saudi army and many of the Sauds are both funding and supportive of ISIS. In fact much recruiting and fundraising is being done within S.A.s’ borders with very successful results. I guess we will see in the next few weeks.
I wonder if the Sauds will support the more repressive fundamentalist policies of the ISIS or will they want to retain the power and wealth instead?

The lesson we did not learn from Vietnam, at least not those in positions of power, is to mind our own fucking business and let other countries settle their own differences.

@rojo The lesson we did not learn from Vietnam, at least not those in positions of power, is to mind our own fucking business and let other countries settle their own differences.
Bahahahaha, Uncle Sam mind his own business, surely you jest? The US has enjoyed playing world cop ever since he dropped the bomb on the Japanese then decided who could and can’t have one because they might use it as he actually did. Whenever there is an issue that will cramp Uncle Sam’s style or line his pockets, he will get involved because it is in his best interest, anyone else be damned.

@Hypocrisy_Central by Uncle Sam I assume you mean those who have money in the game and are in control of all the rest of us peons?

I think people hear the words “US” “bomb” and “Iraq” and have an emotional reaction, largely because of the many fuck-ups of the Bush administration last decade—while ignoring the facts of the situation.

Those facts:
• ISIS is a genocidal organization. They are proud of this. They tweet photographs of young girls and civilians they’ve beheaded.

• ISIS’s advance in northern Iraq has caused hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee for their lives.

• Most of those civilians have fled into Kurdistan. The Kurds have welcomed them with open arms, often helping to transport them at tremendous risk.

• Some 40,000 civilians—Yazidis, who ISIS wants to exterminate—are trapped on a mountain, ringed by ISIS fighters.

• The Kurds are outgunned, and ISIS is invading Kurdistan. ISIS moves troops and artillery in armored convoys.

To me, this is a no-brainer. The Kurds are heroes. The Yazidi and other civilians are facing an actual genocide and they despereately need help. Our Air Force can bomb ISIS armor and artillery with zero risk to civilian populations, and the Kurds can then fight back on the ground.

For those of you who want to do nothing because of some vague conception about the lessons of history or strategic non-interventionism, I hope you’re actually paying attention to the details of the situation.

Now, I think the USAF helping the Kurds and preventing genocide is a separate question from the USAF helping the Iraqi government. Because unlike the Kurds, who are unequivocably awesome human beings, the Maliki government is pretty corrupt, entangled with Iran and Syria, and from a military tactical standpoint, it needs to be reformed to even make retaking ISIS-conquered Sunni territory feasible.

So I think Obama is right to hold out military aid to the Iraqi government until it appoints a new government. And if we do make broader military strikes, I expect that the United Nations, NATO, and the Arab League will support and participate as well. However, I think the situation in the north absolutely warrants airstrikes immediately.