What ISIS Really Wants

[USS Utah]

A good, but very long article:

"The reality is that the Islamic State is Islamic. Very Islamic. Yes, it has attracted psychopaths and adventure seekers, drawn largely from the disaffected populations of the Middle East and Europe. But the religion preached by its most ardent followers derives from coherent and even learned interpretations of Islam. Muslims can reject the Islamic State; nearly all do. But pretending that it isn’t actually a religious, millenarian group, with theology that must be understood to be combatted, has already led the United States to underestimate it and back foolish schemes to counter it. We’ll need to get acquainted with the Islamic State’s intellectual genealogy if we are to react in a way that will not strengthen it, but instead help it self-immolate in its own excessive zeal."

Link:

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

[Sullyute]

Power and control. Isn't that what most leaders want, let alone those of tyrannical groups like ISIS, Boka Haron, Russia, North Korea, Cosa Nostra, etc.

I know very little about ISIS. It seems that the vast majority of these groups spring from bad, corrupt, and oppressive governments, kings, and regimes. I think if corruption was stopped, then there would be less breading ground for groups like ISIS.

Look at our neighbors to the south. They have the natural resources, agriculture, oil and gas, fisheries, tourism, cheap labor for industry, etc. I have heard it stated that if mexico could stop their rampant corruption that it could be a world economic power.

What is the old saying, "Power corrupts, and absolute power, absolutely corrupts." I know that I am getting off topic, but it just seems that you can destroy these groups with guns and bombs, but another one will eventually spring to take its place until that culture of corruption changes.

[Rocker Ute]

Can we merge this thread with the "I wonder what Ed Hochuli got for Christmas" thread?