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To: wmfights
the opportunity to civilize a barbarian culture.

Quite beyond our means, at least using methods we're presently willing to use.

I find it interesting that you see few comments on the basic Achilles heel of the Caliphate movement.

A great many Muslims believe in the concept, but there is simply no way at all for a leader to climb to this position except by conquest. And even then he would have no true legitimacy and would have no way to hold his position other than by violent repression. As Napoleon said, "You can do anything with bayonets in politics except sit on them." Which was of course what in the long run brought him down.

The basic problem of any government system is how to establish legitimacy of rule and succession, whereby the people accept the right of the government to rule.

Dozens or hundreds of ambitious warlords contending militarily for the caliph's position is hardly a recipe for stability.

It should also be noted that the Arabs, as a people, have not produced any great conquerors since about 900. Every great Muslim conqueror has been non-Arab in origin: Berber, Turkish, Kurdish, Persian, Mongol, etc.

Which tends to indicate there's something in the Arab national character that makes conquering, or at least maintaining a conquest, difficult.

26 posted on 06/15/2014 10:51:06 AM PDT by Sherman Logan (Perception wins all the battles. Reality wins all the wars.)
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To: Sherman Logan
WM: the opportunity to civilize a barbarian culture.

SL: Quite beyond our means, at least using methods we're presently willing to use.

We did it in Japan after WWII.

It's just a matter of asserting our will to impose a superior culture. Unfortunately, we are no longer the country that believes in our superiority and we are watching the rise of barbarism throughout the world as a result.

39 posted on 06/15/2014 12:00:09 PM PDT by wmfights
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To: Sherman Logan

“something in the Arab national character-—” Oh, Yeah. Like oh say basic ignorance and the willingness to fight learning with every tool available. Getting out of the 6th century requires a couple steps like maybe mastering the flush toilet-—for starters. The overwhelming desire to stick with tribal governance, ie Sharia Law, is guaranteed to keep them trading goats for wives for the next couple centuries at least.


63 posted on 06/15/2014 2:36:45 PM PDT by cherokee1 (skip the names---just kick the buttz)
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