Islamic State Crisis Megathread (ISIS/ISIL/IS) II

[Washington Resistance Army]

Why are we allies of Saudi Arabia, despite the fact they were responsible for 9/11? An oil sanction on them will cripple their economy dearly.

The Saudi government is not responsible for 9/11.

Yeah, we all know Bush is.

[Outer Sparta]

The Saudi government is not responsible for 9/11.

Yeah, we all know Bush is.

Invading Iraq = forming ISIS.

[Ashmoria]

The answer is most obviously yes. But the US shouldn't be doing any of the occupying of territory. The strategy should be to ensure Assad's military recaptures most of Syria with Russia's help, ensure that the Peshmerga hold onto their gains and sit on it, and ensure Iraq's military recaptures most of Iraq with the help of Iran. If ISIS territory first shrinks on all sides, that just leaves a much smaller area that needs to be invaded.

The Sunni portion of Iraq, the area of least value that none of the belligerents want, can be where IS is finally routed and it can promptly be made into a protectorate of Jordan or Saudi Arabia if not an independent Sunni state. A Kurdish state can form in the north, while Iraq is free to become fully Shia like it wanted to.

pssst

Russia pulled out of Syria.

[Saiwania]

Russia pulled out of Syria.

Not entirely, they did so in part because they think their intervention is a resounding success. Syria has captured over 10,000 square kilometers of territory and has made gains in Latakia and Aleppo. Russia needs to keep the S-400 in Syria to keep Turkey's air force out of Syria and any other states in the region wanting to indirectly help Islamic State.

[We Couldnt Agree On A Name]

No. We took the last one. Your turn.

[Artusia]

Russia is already doing a good enough job if you ask me. We'd be wasting money like we did with W. Bush's wars.

[Imperializt Russia]

Yeah, we all know Bush is.

Invading Iraq = forming ISIS.

No.

[Royal Hindustan]

US oil production has risen over the past few years, so I don't see why the middle east is an absolute necessity to us. It's not our fight anyway.

[Valaran]

US oil production has risen over the past few years, so I don't see why the middle east is an absolute necessity to us. It's not our fight anyway.

Its somewhat foolish to assume that this is the only reason the middle east is important.

Moreover, oil prices are affected by petroleum supply from all parts of the globe, so that point is only relevant if the US was somehow not integrated into the global economy and relied on autarchy. That is not the case.

[Royal Hindustan]

US oil production has risen over the past few years, so I don't see why the middle east is an absolute necessity to us. It's not our fight anyway.

Its somewhat foolish to assume that this is the only reason the middle east is important.

Moreover, oil prices are affected by petroleum supply from all parts of the globe, so that point is only relevant if the US was somehow not integrated into the global economy and relied on autarchy. That is not the case.

Ideally oil dependency should decrease over time, and Saudi Arabia and Dubai are still very much stable.

[Valaran]

Ideally oil dependency should decrease over time.

ok, I guess?

, and Saudi Arabia and Dubai are still very much stable

They are not the only places with oil production in the Middle east, certainly not the only places to be bale to affect the west.

[Imperializt Russia]

US oil production has risen over the past few years, so I don't see why the middle east is an absolute necessity to us. It's not our fight anyway.

Yeah oil production rose, so elements of OPEC tanked the market price to trash shale projects in the US.

[Royal Hindustan]

US oil production has risen over the past few years, so I don't see why the middle east is an absolute necessity to us. It's not our fight anyway.

Yeah oil production rose, so elements of OPEC tanked the market price to trash shale projects in the US.

US too had a hand in decreasing the oil prices. Why do you think Venezuela blames its eocnomic problems on the US?

[Imperializt Russia]

Yeah oil production rose, so elements of OPEC tanked the market price to trash shale projects in the US.

US too had a hand in decreasing the oil prices. Why do you think Venezuela blames its eocnomic problems on the US?

Because the US doesn't deal with Venezuela and they generally hate you.

Venezuela lost out from a couple of OPEC states tanking the market, as did Iran. OPEC as an organisation through a shitfit about it.

[Outer Sparta]

Invading Iraq = forming ISIS.

No.

Why not?

[Zottistan]

No.

Why not?

Why?

[Outer Sparta]

Why not?

Why?

You overthrow Saddam Hussein and don't install a competent government, then it's instability, civil war, anarchy, and eventually, ISIS forms in Iraq because of the ill-fated Iraq War.

[Imperializt Russia]

No.

Why not?

Because it's simply not true.
IS is a product of the Iraq War and the Syrian Civil War, that is true - though bear in mind, it's quite specifically due to the coincidence of both conflicts.

But "invading Iraq = forming ISIS" is entirely false.

[Zottistan]

Why?

You overthrow Saddam Hussein and don't install a competent government, then it's instability, civil war, anarchy, and eventually, ISIS forms in Iraq because of the ill-fated Iraq War.

There are a ridiculously high amount of things that could have potentially happened after they overthrew Sadam and a lot of them were positive. Creating a situation in which something could potentially happen and causing that thing to happen are in no way equatable.

[Saiwania]

It looks like I am proven right once again. It was a mistake for Israel to ever relinquish the Sinai back to Egypt. ISIS in Sinai is planning an attack on Israel. My recommended course of action is for the IDF to preemptively mass along the border covertly with concealment and counter invade the Sinai whenever ISIS makes their move and formally annex all of Sinai to Israel permanently as a buffer zone. Any anti-Israel people on the ground can be rooted out and utterly destroyed.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Confl ... ael-449314

[Rio Cana]

Seems the OP is not keeping up with current news. With this ceasefire, the Syrian military has been on the march against IS. Add the Kurds who have also done a good job against IS., then US troops are not really needed. Just weapons supplies and air cover is needed. They also say that IS. oil money making enterprise via Turkey has been almost 100% interrupted. No money means IS. cannot buy weapons. Yes, some say some in Turkey were supplying them weapons but I think with the Russian air campaign and public eye on Turkey that the suppliers in Turkey have cutback, at least somewhat, on supplying this group.

[Rio Cana]

It looks like I am proven right once again. It was a mistake for Israel to ever relinquish the Sinai back to Egypt. ISIS in Sinai is planning an attack on Israel. My recommended course of action is for the IDF to preemptively mass along the border covertly with concealment and counter invade the Sinai whenever ISIS makes their move and formally annex all of Sinai to Israel permanently as a buffer zone. Any anti-Israel people on the ground can be rooted out and utterly destroyed.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Confl ... ael-449314

You do know that would start a big war over there with Egypt. Egypt would most likely welcome these groups to be crushed but they would not accept any other nation to cross into there national territory to do it.

[Imperializt Russia]

It looks like I am proven right once again. It was a mistake for Israel to ever relinquish the Sinai back to Egypt. ISIS in Sinai is planning an attack on Israel. My recommended course of action is for the IDF to preemptively mass along the border covertly with concealment and counter invade the Sinai whenever ISIS makes their move and formally annex all of Sinai to Israel permanently as a buffer zone. Any anti-Israel people on the ground can be rooted out and utterly destroyed.

http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Confl ... ael-449314

Oh goodie.

This doesn't have any unfortunate historical implications that are also poetically fitting.

[Novus America]

Why are we allies of Saudi Arabia, despite the fact they were responsible for 9/11? An oil sanction on them will cripple their economy dearly.

And ours. We depend on their oil imports. Plus, if we embargo one OPEC founding state, we're bringing OPEC's sanctions against the U.S.

No. We only get 3.5% of our oil from Saudi Arabia. And OPEC is a completely dysfunctional mess. It is no longer a functioning entity just a group of squabbling countries who often hate each other.

[Imperializt Russia]

And ours. We depend on their oil imports. Plus, if we embargo one OPEC founding state, we're bringing OPEC's sanctions against the U.S.

No. We only get 3.5% of our oil from Saudi Arabia. And OPEC is a completely dysfunctional mess. It is no longer a functioning entity just a group of squabbling countries who often hate each other.

3.5% is a lot.

OPEC makes up over half of oil imports, and Saudi Arabia is about 40% of that. The Saudis account for about 12.5% of all imports.