We Had to Go Back: U.S. had to intervene in Iraq because ISIS’s goals extend beyond that region

Slate ^ | 08/09/2014 | Reihan Salam

[SeekAndFind]

Scratch the surface of most of the world’s armed conflicts and you won’t see an ideological struggle or deep-seated ethnic or religious hatred that has erupted in a war of all against all. Rather, what you’ll find is a collection of thugs for hire, some in uniforms and some not, who are taking advantage of the chaos of war to prey on the weak. Sometimes this involves stealing oil or diamonds, or sexual brutality. But it’s pretty rare that it involves some larger design. True, the hooligans who take part in these orgies of destruction will often claim loyalty to some larger cause. They’re usually lying. The only heroes you’ll find in these wars are the people fighting for their lives and their loved ones.

The war that is now unfolding in Iraq is something different, and something much scarier. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria steals with the best of them, and I don’t doubt that some of the fighters who’ve attached themselves to its cause are thrill-seeking psychopaths like those you’ll find in any lawless hellhole. On the whole, however, you get the impression that its fighters aren’t killing for fun and profit, and they’re certainly not killing to protect themselves from other crazies.

Instead, they are killing because they are utopians. They want to live in a world that is quite literally cleansed of those who do not share their deranged beliefs, and by killing Yazidis and Christians and members of other religious minorities, they believe that they are serving a noble and just cause.

The Taliban are awful, but given their willingness to cut deals with the Afghan government and the United States and its allies, they aren’t quite so insane. Even al-Qaida is more tolerant of religious minorities than the lunatics of ISIS.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

If Lebanon falls, Israel will have to go nuclear or die.

[Sherman Logan]

If Lebanon falls, Israel will have to go nuclear or die.

I'm curious why you think that is. Has ISIS demonstrated some capability by which they could overcome the immense Israeli military advantage?

[blueunicorn6]

The last part of the article is that we have to bring the Yazidis to the US?
Baloney.
Send all those Central American border crossers to Iraq to fight ISIS. Tell them if they win, we’ll make Iraq a US Territory.

[Enterprise]

Has the Moose put up the hash tag yet? #BringBackOurYazidiWomen

[Rome2000]

“We” are not back.

The fact is that Obama is allied with ISIS and only lobbed a few bombs for the propaganda value.

They are still cutting off Christians heads and he doesn’t give a rats ass about it.

He’s on a 5 week vacation now, but the press will cover for him (this article is part of that propaganda campaign) and the moslem psychos will continue their genocide but probably have figured out by now that publicizing it isn’t doing them any favors.

A real American POTUS would be wiping these vermin out wholesale to the point that they wouldn’t have any heavy weapons left at all and would avoid concentrating any of their force in one area.

That can be done with fighter aircraft, Apaches, and A-10’s.

His failure to act speaks volumes.

[dragnet2]

Lunacy on parade....

Our foreign policies have been an utter complete disaster for decades....When ya think they can’t get worse....It gets worse..

[Hostage]

I find it interesting that in Iraq the Left has constantly refrained how we as Americans have no business being there and never had such.

And then we had this year the perfect opportunity to abandon everything there under the direction of the anti-war democrats.

And now they want to go back in with a heavy involvement?

Why is that?

Let me guess, the don’t mean what they say nor do they say what they mean.

What they want is to call the shots and blame adverse consequences on their opponents.

[dfwgator]

Let me guess, the don’t mean what they say nor do they say what they mean.

One thing leads to another.

[dragnet2]

A real American POTUS would be wiping these vermin out wholesale........That can be done with fighter aircraft, Apaches, and A-10’s.

More shock and awe huh? More trillions, more decades long compassionate wars, more American blood, loot what's left of the American treasure?

We had our chance.....There will be no wholesale wiping them out...There will be no sizing their oil fields, and sending them back into tents in the desert while giving them final warning to behave or die quickly...

What they will do is take hundreds of thousands of them from these religious insane asylums, import them here, then pass laws here protecting them, demanding you respect their culture....Or else.

[pgyanke]

We Had to Go Back: U.S. had to intervene in Iraq because ISIS’s goals extend beyond that region

Dear Democrats... If you will recall, THAT'S WHY WE WENT THERE IN FIRST PLACE!!!

[Rome2000]

Annihilating a terrorist army is in the USA's interest, not to help the ragheads in Iraq.

The fact that ISIS exists at all is only possible because they have an ally in the WH.

Such an army would never have been able to be formed with a real American as President.

The difficult part of dealing with terrorists is they usually hide in the shadows and amongst the civilians.

These bastards have formed an army and are operating in plain sight in heavy numbers.

You can't hold territory without ground troops, but you sure can blow up stuff from the air.

These guys should be reduced to walking or driving around in civilian vehicles,not parading around in brand new Toyotas.

[OpusatFR]

Does one have to log onto slate to read comments?

[dfwgator]

“Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in.”

[dragnet2]

More shock and awe huh? More trillions, more decades long compassionate wars, more American blood, loot what's left of the American treasure?

We had our chance.....There will be no wholesale wiping them out...There will be no sizing their oil fields, and sending them back into tents in the desert while giving them final warning to behave or die quickly...

What they will do is take hundreds of thousands of them from these religious insane asylums, import them here, then pass laws here protecting them, demanding you respect their culture....Or else.

Annihilating a terrorist army is in the USA's interest

You might be a bit slow Mr. Rome....Let me explain...The your U.S. government could care less about what is in America's best interest, your best interest or my best interest...Just look at your own borders for starters, and go from there.

[Kackikat]

roflmto....Idiot in Chief should have gotten that cease fire agreement to leave our troops there, big ZERO messed up big time. Evidently that cell phone psychic isn’t working out!

[Redleg Duke]

Amazing how the MSM is lining up to justify Butt-Boy’s belated adventures!

[IMR 4350]

Notice how they describe ISIS.

Utopians with a deranged belief to wipe out any nonbelievers.

Obama’s buddy Bill Ayers and the rest of the 1960’s radicals had the same belief, exterminate an estimated 25 million Americans that couldn’t be reeducated to reach their Utopian dream.

So Slate, why is it bad for ISIS to have this belief but OK for Obama to be buddy buddy with someone that has the same belief?

That’s why the radical left and muslims are soul mates, their beliefs are the same.

[Biggirl]

We are dealing here with those who REALLY worship SATAN the devil, better known as ALLAH.

[Biggirl]

Please see post number 19. Thank-you!