10-10-2015, 03:13 PM
I'm not even sure that the US wants to stop ISIS. A destabilized Middle East keeps anti-American factions busy in their own backyards while we try to draw back our presence in the region. A big concern about deposing Saddam was the potential of a Shi'ite mega-state merger between Iran and the Shia majority that had been kept down by Hussein in Iraq. Tehran's influence was undeniable in Iraq after the war. Then came ISIS and the old-school Baathists to retake cities and stake their claim to important territories.
What exactly happens if ISIS is ultimately beaten back and crushed? Iran maintains regional power as the dominant Shi'ite nation in the region. Iraq remains under the Iranian sphere of influence. Assad or someone like him remains in power in Syria. All of this goes down while Russia continues to support these governments and maintain regional support.
OR: ISIS continues to win battles and cause mayhem for all of these actors. They also suffer losses in the give and take, keeping them from growing into a dominant caliphate. Let's be honest, they're as vicious and fanatical as anyone, but we're talking about a brutal Assad government backed by Russian military support who operates without the ethical qualms that the American public concerns itself with. Meanwhile, the US continues tactical air stikes just for good measure.
It's a shitty situation all around, but in the end, I don't think the US government gives a rat's ass if that region is destabilized until the end of time.
What exactly happens if ISIS is ultimately beaten back and crushed? Iran maintains regional power as the dominant Shi'ite nation in the region. Iraq remains under the Iranian sphere of influence. Assad or someone like him remains in power in Syria. All of this goes down while Russia continues to support these governments and maintain regional support.
OR: ISIS continues to win battles and cause mayhem for all of these actors. They also suffer losses in the give and take, keeping them from growing into a dominant caliphate. Let's be honest, they're as vicious and fanatical as anyone, but we're talking about a brutal Assad government backed by Russian military support who operates without the ethical qualms that the American public concerns itself with. Meanwhile, the US continues tactical air stikes just for good measure.
It's a shitty situation all around, but in the end, I don't think the US government gives a rat's ass if that region is destabilized until the end of time.
