The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[Tonitrus]

If only northern Mexico was all like the village in Three Amigos. 

[CountDeMoney]

Would you say I have a plethora of drug cartels?

Tonitrus does bring up a valid point, re: tribal families as power brokers. 

[dracula]Our vays are not your vays.[/dracula]

[Tonitrus]

Another reason to like the Kurds.  Mostly pan-Kurdish nationalism mixed with some spunky communist-revolutionarism (they just need to keep that female-equality spirit and ditch the Mao/Che crap). 

[CountDeMoney]

HEY MAO   

ISIS isn't the only ones using social media for recruits;  the Kurds are using it for western recruits as well, like US and Canadian Iraq War combat vets--

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-this-28-year-old-from-wisconsin-is-fighting-isis-in-iraq-2015-2

[Tonitrus]

If I were to get out of the military...and actually had military skills they could use (I doubt knowledge of a non-relevant language, powerpoint, and Outlook are helpful against ISIS)...I'd strongly consider going to fight for them.

But then I think I'd choose going to fight for Ukraine instead.  Better chance of friendly support from local Ukrainian maidens. 

*Kurdish babes can be pretty hott...but despite their relatively higher social progression for the region, I bet their actual families retain a lot of the hangups about male/female interaction. 

[CountDeMoney]

Please send all recruitment efforts to [email protected]

[grumbler]

Or to use an actual real-life example, my wife is an Argentine citizen and a US citizen.  But since the point she became a US citizen the US government does not recognize her Argentine citizenship.  They didn't confiscate her Argie passport and force her at gunpoint to renounce her Argie citizenship.

That is correct.  To become a US citizen, your wife had to renounce her Argentine citizenship (not at gunpoint, but in taking the oath that made her a citizen), and so the US doesn't recognize her as a dual citizen (though the law recognizes that Argentina may still consider her a citizen).   Her Argentine passport is a moot point in US law.

The US recognizes dual citizenship based on birth.  It also recognizes that US citizens can become citizens of another nation by marriage or residency.  Consular rules are written such that they distinguish between sole US citizens and US citizens that also have nationality in the place where the consulate is located; in general, the latter are afforded far less consular service than the former.

[mongers]

At times Arab customs can be quite interesting, like the King and the pilot's father holding hand as they prayed and talked; it's a rather base human response to grief.

[Sheilbh]

Well, he is only 20 but he is manning up quite nicely:

....He just looks like a geeky kid.

[jimmy olsen]

That would be like offering parts of Ukraine to Poland or Northern Mexico to the US - why the hell would we want poor, unruly territories for a bigger headache? It's a very 19th century style thinking that I don't think works any more.

Much of the part of northern Mexico we already took isn't any better than the part that's left. Now, whether it's worth it to take more probably depends on how much oil they have left.

Lower crime, higher GDP per capita and better infrastructure. On what basis could you argue the Mexican cession isn't better off than the crime ridden blood bath that is northern Mexico today?

[Eddie Teach]

I was talking about the terrain.

[Ed Anger]

Well, he is only 20 but he is manning up quite nicely:

....He just looks like a geeky kid.

Just like his dad. Who wanted to be on Star Trek, and got a cameo.

[Martinus]

[derspiess]

http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/joe--obamas-prayer-speech-baffling-395029571633

[Valmy]

Yeah I am not watching shit from one of those d-bag cable news networks.