tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493138.post4454486295712756992..comments2024-02-03T10:37:28.343-05:00Comments on Madman of Chu: Radical Islam and the "War on Terror"Madman of Chuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12867538212499011319noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493138.post-28417640027675521062015-02-02T16:00:29.784-05:002015-02-02T16:00:29.784-05:00John,
Thanks for reading my blog and for your fee...John,<br /><br />Thanks for reading my blog and for your feedback. We agree only to a point. I concur that the invasion of Iraq was a very bad mistake, but I provisionally support U.S. military action in the other states you mention, within strict limits. I do not think that the kind of quarantine you suggest is wise, just, or even feasible given the conditions of the 21st century (how do we "quarantine" propaganda speeches that go out over various media like those of Anwar al-Awlaki?). Treating these states as "sectarian war zones" is a self-fulfilling prophesy that plays into the ideology and goals of groups like Al Qaeda. A sectarian war is the kind of conflict in which Al Qaeda or ISIS thrives, because it superheats the social climate of identity politics strife and forces individuals to shore up their religious bona fides as a matter of survival. We should use our military power in places like Syria to turn the conflict away from questions of sectarian allegiance and toward broader questions of political participation and social justice. If we declared a "no-fly zone" for Assad's jets, for example, that might create the conditions in which ordinary Syrians would feel freer to shift support away from ISIS and toward more moderate opposition groups, who might finally enjoy some battlefield success against the Assad regime if the playing field were more level. If we decide to stand back and just "let the Sunnis and Shi'ites fight it out" we will watch ISIS's power grow until their reach extends far beyond Syria and Iraq.Madman of Chuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12867538212499011319noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493138.post-85571495803990782352015-02-02T15:06:26.812-05:002015-02-02T15:06:26.812-05:00Agreed that ,"going to war" with "r...Agreed that ,"going to war" with "radical Islam" is a terrible idea, it's bad for both reasons. Our involvement in these conflicts in Iraq, Afganistan, Libya, and now Syria, have just made them worse and cost us dearly. Radical slamists, overwhelmingly Sunni, baited us into involvemnt in a mostly sectarian conflict, beginning with the 9/11 attack. Our presence gives them cover. Instead of "war," we should quaranteen these violent states as a "sectarian war zone," strictly limiting contact in both directions.<br /> John J., AtlantaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com