[JimSEA]

In view of Mr. Fisk's precise analysis of the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns and his huge insight into the mind of the Middle East, I think we should respectfully accord him his due and retire him from active prediction and analysis. Zero for 100 is a record of perfection none but Noam Chomsky can hope to approach.

[marron]

Arab states are largely squalid, corrupt, brutal dictatorships. No surprise there. We created most of these dictators

Oh, really? And prior to the arrival of the Europeans, what kind of leaders did they have?

I don't really want to put myself in the position of defending Euros, but colonialism usually occurred where there was a power vacuum, chaos, irrational violence, and monarchs who were a bane to the lives of their subjects.

Euro traders entered the scene, had to provide for their own security, and the secure space they created for themselves became the most stable governments those regions had ever known. They did not develop out of humanitarian motives, but with some notable exceptions (German and Belgian Africa) they were head and shoulders better than what preceded them. And upon their departure the countries returned to the misery that had preceded their arrival.

[Democratshavenobrains]

Fisk Translation: Because retards like him screwed up the Middle East 70 years ago, any attempt to fix anything notw is wrong.

[TheDon]

Careful Bobby, your racism is showing again.

[JCB]

"Arab states are largely squalid, corrupt, brutal dictatorships. No surprise there. We created most of these dictators"

Sure we did Bobby. AK-47s, T-72 tanks and MiG jets are all made in Manchester and Wisconsin afterall!