Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Syria and ISIS: A Five Minute History of How We Got to This Point

by Nomad

Information is our best defense. Here's a fairly good video that answers the question: How on earth did the world let ISIS happen?


If you have been struggling to make sense of the terror group, ISIS, it's really not your fault. Firstly, it's a complicated situation, with a lot of actors on the stage. Also, the news media in the US has done a pretty lousy job in trying to explain things to those of us who may have a limited understanding of the region and the events that led up to where we are now.

Here's a very helpful video clip which goes a long way in explaining things. It's important that you take a moment to watch because information is your best defense against panic and paranoia. Will this answer all your questions? No, but it is enlightening. And with the information in this clip, you will probably know enough to spot a lie when you hear it.


This "tutorial" certainly shows why President Obama, despite all of the military resources at his command, has been reluctant to commit boots on the ground. It was always Obama's last option and this spells out the limits of that approach. 

Anybody who thinks throwing American soldiers into that mess should quickly dismissed as a lunatic. Even the idea sending arms to groups that have not been extremely well vetted, as John McCain suggested in the past, is a serious mistake and would clearly make things much worse.

There are no easy solutions and even though phony loudmouths who can only talk tough, the answer not come from blustering and bullying anybody.