MachineGhost wrote:The whole place has been nothing but a source of consistent global trouble for tens of centuries
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The geographic region has not produced "consistent global global troubles" over the tens of centuries. Rome conquered much more in both extent and duration. The mongols almost certainly killed many more people and certainly had much larger conquered areas. During the golden age of Islam, from ~800 to ~1250, this region and the areas under their sway were the most (perhaps second - apologies to any Chinese folks) civilized part of the world with much greater tolerance, learning, institutions, etc., than anything the West had to offer at the time.
A quick annihilation by nuke is far more welcome than the extended and gruesome torture that would certainly become de rigeur in an ISIS Caliphate the size of Rome.
If you add all the Islamic terror attacks over the last 35 years it will be less than 50,000 people (
source). Killing 300MM people (# of muslims in Middle East/Africa) or even millions would be a gigantic escalation - and would like cause a lot more enemies of the US to be created in the rest of the world. Hulk Smash won't improve things.
I rather not have to fight them at the height of their power. They are Commies and Nazi's on steroids and we haven't seen how bad it can get yet.
They are already pretty much at the height of their power in Iraq/Syria - see the ethnoreligious map I posted in the other thread. Their area of control has not changed in a major way for many months.
ISIS is nothing like WW2 Germany or cold war Russia. They have a bunch of stolen cash and weapons and a bunch of crazy fanatics. A few experienced divisions of the WW2 German or Russian armies would crush the entire region in days with ease - let alone the present day US Army. The problem is what to do once we crush them - unlike the German or Russian armies, we would not be willing to be hardasses (i.e. ironfisted dictators, executing people on suspicion of unacceptable beliefs) indefinitely. At least, I assume folks are not comfortable with having a permanent US sponsored dictatorship with deathsquads, torture, etc., but maybe I am wrong, given the advocacy for nukes?
Dualstow: It's pretty clear Islam IS the problem. I would prefer it if all the Arabs can fight among themselves and wear themselves out as we did as Christians hundreds of years ago, but I just don't think thats going to happen.
Again, look at the ethnoreligious map I posted in the other thread. The muslims and arabs
are fighting among themselves in Iraq and Syria. It is happening right now and has been for months.
