The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant Megathread

[Syt]

For the Latin scholars: is Pilate pronounced Pilot or Pilate(s)? Or Pilatey?

Pilatus

[Martinus]

I disagree. Most likely alternative if Gadaffi died peacefully would have been one of his sons taking over. Law and order would have still prevailed. Even North Korea is better than lawlessness.

If Gadaffi wasn't toppled I think an extended Syrian type Civil War was most likely.  It looks like Libya is headed that way anyway, but at least they had a shot at a less horrible result.  I'd still rather a dozen Libyan style interventions to the Iraqi invasion, with the resultant expense and mess.

Yeah, it's not like the West doing nothing to stop Assad's genocide of his own people prevented ISIL from taking hold there.

[Martinus]

The West should have left Ghadaffi in control in Libya. It's just become another hugely failed state that the extremists can fight over.

If something needs to be done then Egypt and Saudi Arabia can go in. They both have large militaries, especially Egypt which probably has an army as large as France or the UK. That way Arabs/Muslims can try and determine how the nation is rebuilt, not have a western nation be the main driver in yet another Muslim nation.

I don't think that your idea of the West fighting to keep Gaddafi in power (because that's what it would have taken) is very realistic.  The breakdown of  central authority was always the likeliest outcome of Gaddafi's rule.  At least the Western intervention created the small chance that chaos could be averted.  That it didn't work doesn't mean it was a bad idea, since the alternatives were worse.

I think he would have won on his own. NATO intervened because it looked like the war was turning against the rebels--they were being slowly pushed back toward Benghazi--and Gaddafi would have remembered the West's willingness to turn against him.

It looks like Assad is winning too. And he is still in power. But half of Syria is now in ISIL's hands.

It's a quagmire either way, so I'm glad the West at least took a moral (if, ultimately, futile) stance on Libya.

[Martinus]

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/

Amazing article.

Can you give us a little more than that?

Islamic State is Islamic.  People who argue this are retarded and if anything making things worse.

Even when you are right, you are incapable of making a sensible statement.

Your second sentence should have read "people who argue against this" I presume?

[Valmy]

Even when you are right, you are incapable of making a sensible statement.

Your second sentence should have read "people who argue against this" I presume?

So he left out a word.  We all knew what he meant.

[Martinus]

Even when you are right, you are incapable of making a sensible statement.

Your second sentence should have read "people who argue against this" I presume?

So he left out a word.  We all knew what he meant.

Well, he could also mean "Islamic State is not Islamic.  People who argue this are retarded and if anything making things worse."

Also one word difference.

[Admiral Yi]

Me too.

I was agreeing with the wacky idea part. 

[Jacob]

Me too.

I was agreeing with the wacky idea part. 

Yeah, me too. That was a pretty daft statement.

[Admiral Yi]

Which statement are you referring to?

[Jacob]

Which statement are you referring to?

Really?

How about this: if you think I misunderstood you, state your position clearly and explicitly and I'll tell you if I agree with you or not.

[Admiral Yi]

mongers is a goofball.

[Jacob]

mongers is a goofball.

Okay. I misunderstood you. I thought Rasmussen was being a goofball. You win this time, Admiral.

(note: this does not indicate any position on whether mongers is a goofball or not)

[grumbler]

For the Latin scholars: is Pilate pronounced Pilot or Pilate(s)? Or Pilatey?

It's not a Latin word.  The name was, IIRC, Pontius Pilatus in Latin.  In Englsih, Pilate is pronounced much like the title of a guy who flies a plane.

[CountDeMoney]

Ed just got his Pontius Pilates instructor certification.

[Eddie Teach]

(note: this does not indicate any position on whether mongers is a goofball or not)

We should have a poll. Actually, we shouldn't bother, cause we already know the proposition would win handily.