Iraq and ISIS Discussion

Ocoka One said:
Targeting the medical personnel and facilities of your enemy may be effective terror tactics in the short-term; but in the long run it will only give your enemy more incentive to hate and resist you.

We've learned through the bombings of civilian population centers like Berlin, Tokyo, London, Hanoi, that despite material destruction it cements unity and national will and increases defiance.
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I don't know...Japan and Germany effectively were pretty dang peaceful in comparison to Iraq post-hostilities. And then Afghanistan the war basically has not ended. I don't truly know what it will take, but based on those conflicts, for a country to actually be rebuilt it takes a significant portion of the population dying during the war and then a significant occupation force.

It was an acceptable strategy then. It did work then, not sure where that puts us today though.
 
ThunderHorse said:
I don't know...Japan and Germany effectively were pretty dang peaceful in comparison to Iraq post-hostilities. And then Afghanistan the war basically has not ended. I don't truly know what it will take, but based on those conflicts, for a country to actually be rebuilt it takes a significant portion of the population dying during the war and then a significant occupation force.

It was an acceptable strategy then. It did work then, not sure where that puts us today though.
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WWII and Afghan/Iraq are difficult to compare. The everyday Japanese and German citizen was affected by their countries war effort long before the occupying force came to overrun them. They knew what their country was putting out.

The sheer difference in scale of war effort doesn't lead Afghans and Iraqi's to feel remorse for their country/countrymen's efforts. They may not even be aware of what the village down the road is up to. The large percentage of the population that isn't involved in war efforts then feels confusion and frustration towards the occupying force, thus driving them towards insurgent attitudes.
 
Are we actually trying to compare a total war with unconditional surrender and the the losing countries' utter destruction to Iraq and Afghanistan?
 
ThunderHorse said:
I don't know...Japan and Germany effectively were pretty dang peaceful in comparison to Iraq post-hostilities. And then Afghanistan the war basically has not ended. I don't truly know what it will take, but based on those conflicts, for a country to actually be rebuilt it takes a significant portion of the population dying during the war and then a significant occupation force.

It was an acceptable strategy then. It did work then, not sure where that puts us today though.
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Japan and Germany were countries with a sense of identity and unity. Afghanistan and Iraq are just areas on the map with lines drawn around them.

There's both a German and Japanese language and ethnicity, that doesn't exist in Iraq or Afghanistan.
 
Etype said:
Japan and Germany were countries with a sense of identity and unity. Afghanistan and Iraq are just areas on the map with lines drawn around them.

There's both a German and Japanese language and ethnicity, that doesn't exist in Iraq or Afghanistan.
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I'd agree with Afghanistan, but I think it might be a bit more complicated with Iraq. There had been a push against Pan Arabism and Iraqi national identity for most of the 20th century. You would have to suggest the same for Egypt and the like. All of which have a unique language and differences in culture.
 
Deathy McDeath said:
Interestingly, one of the attacks was near the Prophet's Mosque (Al Masjid an-Nabwi)
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A quick Google search indicates that this is an Orthodox Sunni mosque, very interesting.

I had originally wondered if it were a Shia mosque, but that's not the case.

ETA- I'm really interested to hear their IO spin on this one. If Saudi Arabia started to really hunt down financiers in their country and maybe even do some bombing in Western Iraq, that could be a pretty heavy blow to IS.
 
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The Kingdom has always seen what it wishes to see when it comes to Jihadists. They have to protect their Royal butts.
 
DA SWO said:
Airfield ops?
AF? Avn Bn?

Funny how we have no breakdown on force disposition, which services are on the ground etc.
Obama's 2nd stealth war and the media doesn't care?
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Which one are we counting as the first stealth war?
 

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