IGX

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:

nafod wrote:

TerryB wrote:...after ISIS is wiped out.

Chuckle

I respect your opinion regarding this topic. Question:

I see ISIS mostly as a savage, media-savvy, youth gang, more so than a legit, religious movement. (Assume you don't have to agree with their cause to call it 'legit'.)

I interpret Terry's 'wiped out' as marginalizing them. Do you think we're going to see them continue to grow in power?

I think so. Their home is the land in and around Syria and Iraq where the Sunnis are the majority, so I am not seeing Assad (Shia) and Iran (Shia) wiping them out, especially when the Gulf Oil state Sunnis start feeding them $$$. And then, places like Libya offer growth opportunity for them.

But I am not sure how much of a threat they actually pose to us directly. Screwing up our interests in Iraq for sure.

Putin can't commit shit. He needs his troops close by.

Shafpocalypse Now wrote:Putin can't commit shit. He needs his troops close by.

I hope you're right but suspect you're wrong.

3/4 million active and another 2.5 million reservists seems pretty robust.

http://www.globalfirepower.com/country- ... _id=russia

Manpower has never been a problem for Russia.
1930s Japan didn't have resources.
We go to war with them, we may win, but it will be a Pyrrhic victory. I don't really trust the political leaders on any side of this to make smart decisions.

The Venerable Bogatir X wrote:

TerryB wrote:Putin, Syria and Iran are aligned and will control Iraq after ISIS is wiped out.

Putin is bombing anti-Assad "moderates," who we've tried miserably to harness, but he has a good argument on his side: a stable Syria solves Europe's refugee problem and is better than a destabilized Syria (see, Iraq & Libya).

Absolutely correct on all points.

I hope he doesn't hurt the 4-5 active "good guy" Syrian fighters we've spent $500,000,000 to train. If he kills 4 of them, the survivor will be the most expensive soldier in the history of the world.

Any aggression they try against us would be obtuse, I would guess....their gear, their advisors, puppets pulling triggers and pressing buttons. Also, it would be knocking down our drones and the like vs. going after any (American) manned military apparatus.

I'm simply not doom and gloom enough to think we'll be sighting in on them and vice versa on the battlefield.

I agree it's highly unlikely. But stupidity can snowball.

I doubt Ivan or any G.I. would want to be sighting in on each other when there are so many ragheads that are available targets. Hell, just back Assad, take a supporting role, let Team Putin take the lead (and spend their resources), and clean house from the Savant to the Caucasus. It seems the shitstorm left behind every time a secular dictator is deposed is ten times worse.

somebody wake me when Pavel reenlists in the Spetsnaz.

I just watched the moscow state circus perform in my locality. Amazing. Life under russian rule may be ok. The women too.... jesus.

USA supports terrorists, Russia destroy them.
nothing new in the world.