peter_vas

Peter Vas · @peter_vas

20th Sep 2014 from TwitLonger

Obama's response to #ISIS must be read with large dollop of cynicism


If ISIS was to give an elevator pitch to garner fresh recruits, this would be the accompanying PPT: http://tinyurl.com/o6ejkov

A healthy dose of cynicism is required to read the tea leaves here. It is true that ISIS must be met with a strong resistance. But all of it is military in nature, and we are placing our bets on a weak roster of Coalition countries to boost the diplomacy front.

Obamer's cast the dice, and they are not all sixes. the reality demands a large dose of cynicism:

1. the Retinue of the Reluctants also famously known as the Coalition of the Half-Hearted, is nothing short of being at a simplistic roll-call abstraction layer much above actual intention, interoperability and capability.

2. it counters a predicted future notion that the christian west is at war with an islamic middle-east. one of ISIS' stated goals is to "conquer Rome". it must be noted that sadly, the ill-defined path to this goal is littered with crucified *muslim* men in Syria.

3. Middle East never had an over-arching commonality that gave them a singular identity. They are there own worst enemies. The only ones singing a despicable kumbayah today is ISIS. it is undeniably attracting zealots across the globe with a promise of atavistic and regressive puritanism in the religious and political application of islam to ones lifestyle.

4. the PPT here is important to define ISIS. we cannot be engaged in Iraq 2.0 *unless* the current enemy is a) NOT Al-Qaeda, b) not a shadowy group that remains invisible like Al-Qaeda c) worth every bit of our effort to snuff the living daylights out of it. If Al-Qaeda = 9/11, can ISIS = beheading of two american journalists? insufficient motive, correct? Show me the PPT.

the elevator pitch was for those who do not think the enemy is big enough, viscous enough to be degraded and destroyed

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