The Islamic State

[Jeep]

They've mobilized 150,000 troops for the op.

That's what the press is reporting, but the Saudis don't have 150,000 troops or anything close to that--and they aren't about to risk their National Guard to help the Army. Maybe the press is including Egyptian troops or something.

The Saudi air force will do fine, I think, but I have real doubts about the Saudi Army against the Houthis. Last go around the Saudis did not do well, and my guess is that they will once again throw the most questionable troops from the most potentially disloyal tribes into the battle first in the normal Arab manner. Meanwhile the Houthis seem extremely competent militarily (even if they have overreached politically).

Back in Washington, Obama and Jarrett are no doubt trying to figure out why this is all the US's fault while the White House political team will be explaining to the eager press how it is really Bush's fault.

That's the trouble with power vacuums. They don't stop wars, they merely create new ones.

[RoyGBiv]

Bolton say .. bomb Iran

http://video.foxnews.com/v/413867701...iran-bomb-iran

[Kyle Reese]

Bolton say .. bomb Iran

http://video.foxnews.com/v/413867701...iran-bomb-iran

In the event that happens, I don't expect them to sit idly by. The Iranians, via their proxies and sleeper cells, can strike everywhere and anywhere.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

The problem with bombing Iran is that in the current world paradigm, such bombing is usually blowing up some random military crap. That crap attack has already been discounted by the target state. After action reports find that we missed the big thing or didn't really shut down what we were trying to do. Even the atomic bombing of Japan wasn't seen as a guarantee of a surrender. The coup could have kept the war going and the bombs weren't that useful for the planned invasion. Would USA or Israel bombing be of such an extent as to truly knock Iran down and out? That will doesn't exist in the USA.

[farscott]

In the grand scheme, is there any action we can take in the short-term or in the long-term that can help create a real thriving civilization in the Middle East? If there is, I sure cannot see it. It seems that no matter what we try, the only result is increased pain and suffering both there and in Europe and North America. If the people who live there do not want a better life, we cannot force on one them. When your fundamental religious divide is based on which daughter of Mohammed is his rightful heir, logic is not going to win the day. It is all about who gets the power.

[JAD]

In the grand scheme, is there any action we can take in the short-term or in the long-term that can help create a real thriving civilization in the Middle East?

We could stop being pantywaists about defending the only civilization in the Middle East.



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[MDS]

We could stop being pantywaists about defending the only civilization in the Middle East.



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Interesting view of the whole thing. Could you be more specific? What non-pantywaist actions would you recommend?

[JAD]

Interesting view of the whole thing. Could you be more specific? What non-pantywaist actions would you recommend?

There are a lot of things we could be doing to better support the state of Israel; two current issues are us trying to shove the two-state-at-any-cost solution down their throat, and our continuation of bad faith nuclear negotiations with Iran. Note that neither of these things require us to do more, or get more involved -- it would be better for us to disengage and render less of an opinion in both cases.

[MDS]

There are a lot of things we could be doing to better support the state of Israel; two current issues are us trying to shove the two-state-at-any-cost solution down their throat, and our continuation of bad faith nuclear negotiations with Iran. Note that neither of these things require us to do more, or get more involved -- it would be better for us to disengage and render less of an opinion in both cases.

Wait, I'm even more confused now. We should stop being pantywaists.... by disengaging and rendering less of an opinion?

[JAD]

Sure.