Did you really expect Russia to sit back & let you attack it with your petty sanctions & not reply?

Did Russia really expect it could support terrorists who destabilize a country and violate the territorial integrity of a sovereign nation consequence free?

Tsar Putin the Great does.

+ a lot.

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EU is just Talk/Sanctions, Talk/Sanctions, and Talk/Sanctions. How does that stop Putin?

It doesn't. they're only there for the free food & booze, also to hear the sound of their own voices!

Too late to close the stable door - the horse has bolted

Sanctions are imposed, and Tsar Putin get's back (eventually) the borders of The Soviet Union.

EU is just Talk/Sanctions, Talk/Sanctions, and Talk/Sanctions. How does that stop Putin?

And what would you do? Escalate the conflict and start WW3? Thank god Obama and the leaders of the EU have more sense than to escalate this conflict.

One year on

Not much has improved then!

We just fail to understand how Europeans believe the wearing 'Brown Lipstick', Sanctions, or Verbiage, mean anything, besides a silly little 'I Feel Good About Myself' smugness.

There are only four things you can do. Nothing, diplomacy, sanctions and war. Those are the three responses that are available to states when dealing with another state that is doing something 'bad'. Now, you and Sirius have been complaining about diplomacy and sanctions, saying they don't work. Okay, that leaves two other options. War or nothing. You don't want war, so you want the EU to sit by and do nothing? I thought you were complaining that the EU wasn't a tough enough actor?

You know what, no matter what the EU does, you guys will always complain that they are doing it wrong.

We just fail to understand how Europeans believe the wearing 'Brown Lipstick', Sanctions, or Verbiage, mean anything, besides a silly little 'I Feel Good About Myself' smugness.

There are only four things you can do. Nothing, diplomacy, sanctions and war. Those are the three responses that are available to states when dealing with another state that is doing something 'bad'. Now, you and Sirius have been complaining about diplomacy and sanctions, saying they don't work. Okay, that leaves two other options. War or nothing. You don't want war, so you want the EU to sit by and do nothing? I thought you were complaining that the EU wasn't a tough enough actor?

You know what, no matter what the EU does, you guys will always complain that they are doing it wrong.

Just like you are allways crying about the US is wrong 100% of the time. Fine, I think we just tell the EU its not our problem its yours. We have no horse in that race. If Russia wants to take over that whole country, Whats it mean to us? Nothing. Thats your neck of the woods you deal with it, Or not.
You cant even agree on how to run the EU and you want to tell Russia to behave?
The EU utopia. Now theres a pipe dream.

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Old James

Just like you are allways crying about the US is wrong 100% of the time. Fine, I think we just tell the EU its not our problem its yours. We have no horse in that race. If Russia wants to take over that whole country, Whats it mean to us? Nothing. Thats your neck of the woods you deal with it, Or not.
You can't even agree on how to run the EU and you want to tell Russia to behave?
The EU utopia. Now theres a pipe dream.

So glad I'm not the only one seeing issues with what they are attempting to do.

I understand why Europe likes to look the other way when a another country huffs and puffs and acting beligerant. Hell they have had 2,000 years of warfare. To many people have died beacuse somebody wants what you have, Or you look and talk funny,Or we dont like how youy treat our people who live in your country. So treat them better or we annex you.
I get it. But sticking your head up your arse and pretending that talking tough and saying we will levy sanctions on you is fruitless. It hasnt worked on North Korea for crying out loud.

I dont care what happens in the Crimea. The US has its hands full in Iraq where we did muck it up. Never should have gone there from day one. We broke it we have to fix it.
But if the EU is so Gung Ho on the Ukraine deal thats up to you to fix or not fix.

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[/quote]

Old James

A worrying report

"There is not a single country in the world - whether it's Saudi or Pakistan - that implements Islam fully."

China's turn, whose next?

China executes 8

China & the Uighurs

I dont care what happens in the Crimea. The US has its hands full in Iraq where we did muck it up. Never should have gone there from day one. We broke it we have to fix it.
But if the EU is so Gung Ho on the Ukraine deal thats up to you to fix or not fix.

+1

There's a big problem with that statement and it's one that is extremely worrying.

Panorama - ISIS: Terror in Iraq

That link will not be accessible to those outside the UK but if any in Western Europe, Canada & Australia use the BBC's Global iPlayer, they can search for it as it has 10 months viewing time left.

Even many Muslims in the West are saying that ISIS will have to be confronted and asking when will the event horizon be?

12 months, 5 years, 50 years? What price civil rights then?

Those very same Muslims are scared in that ISIS wants to control the world with their political version of Islam (no Geneva Convention with them).

With what has been stated on that program, the West should be worried as ISIS will make the Nazi's look like a Teddy Bear's Picnic!

Even many Muslims in the West are saying that ISIS will have to be confronted and asking when will the event horizon be?

12 months, 5 years, 50 years? What price civil rights then?

Those very same Muslims are scared in that ISIS wants to control the world with their political version of Islam (no Geneva Convention with them).

With what has been stated on that program, the West should be worried as ISIS will make the Nazi's look like a Teddy Bear's Picnic!

Well lets be realistic here. Sure, ISIS would love to conquer the entire world. But that goal is just patently unrealistic. For one, they remain a fringe group. They are so extreme not even Al Qaida really likes them. That means they have limited their supporter base significantly because they are simply to extreme for the vast majority of people.

Also, yeah these guys have had some success against third rate armies. But they will need a lot more and a lot better equipment if they really want to take on the US, Russia, China or Europe. Converted pick up trucks only get you so far. Even if they manage to form an actual state they need massive investments to build up an army, and it remains to be seen how willing the world is to trade with them. And the majority of the world would probably boycott the hell out of them. And like I said, if they do become a state, they will be forced to play by certain rules that would weaken them.

The worst they can do is set of a wave of terrorist attacks all over Europe. But that would only serve to strengthen their enemies.

The worst they can do is set of a wave of terrorist attacks all over Europe. But that would only serve to strengthen their enemies.

& that makes it all right? As long you're not one of their victims? How nice of you!

& that makes it all right? As long you're not one of their victims? How nice of you!

No, I never said that would make it alright. But lets be realistic here. Someone blowing up a bus is not nearly the same as an army of trained soldiers invading and subsequently occupying your country, and setting off a systematic purge of anyone who they deem human trash. ISIS will never be of the same threat as the Nazis were so stop comparing the two.

Should they be stopped? Yes of course. But they are not a military threat, at least not outside the Middle East, so the solution to stopping them should not be looked for in a purely military corner.

So what would be YOUR response be if they murdered YOUR children, or to protect YOUR children in Europe, tomorrow or the next day, from these 'people'?

I would hate them, but hate makes for a worthless adviser. Our response must not be based on emotions, but on cold hard rational thinking.

So I would try to prevent this corrosive ideology from spreading among the Muslim youths in Europe. That means we must understand what exactly attracts youth to such groups and what we can offer those youth instead thats better than radicalizing and joining ISIS. We should monitor at risk groups to make sure that we know who does radicalize and make sure they can't join ISIS. Community workers should reach out to these people as soon as possible to radicalize them. We must also monitor those that preach in Mosques and make sure that their preaching isn't a veiled attempt of inciting hate against non Muslims. Hate preachers need to be taken off the streets as soon as possible. And those that have already gone to Syria or Iraq and try to return must be taken into custody as soon as they arrive in Europe. Personally I would suggest we treat them as people that have been liberated from a dangerous cult and need to be deprogrammed before they can function in normal society again.

& that makes it all right? As long you're not one of their victims? How nice of you!

No, I never said that would make it alright. But lets be realistic here. Someone blowing up a bus is not nearly the same as an army of trained soldiers invading and subsequently occupying your country, and setting off a systematic purge of anyone who they deem human trash. ISIS will never be of the same threat as the Nazis were so stop comparing the two.

Should they be stopped? Yes of course. But they are not a military threat, at least not outside the Middle East, so the solution to stopping them should not be looked for in a purely military corner.

What planet are you living on?

ISIS motto: -

you are either with us or against us. If against us, we will kill you

No trial, no Geneva convention - either a bullet or a decapitation.

What planet are you living on?

ISIS motto: -

you are either with us or against us. If against us, we will kill you

No trial, no Geneva convention - either a bullet or a decapitation.

I said they would never be the same threat. What their motto is is irrelevant as long as they don't have the actual capacity to follow up on their motto. Look, a few thousand extremists are just not going to conquer an area with 500 million people of which the majority wouldn't stand their guts. Like I said, the worst they can technically do is set off bombs and blow up civilians. Its simply terrorism. But terrorism is the absolute weakest form of combat. Groups that rely on terrorism to achieve their goals will never win.

Seems the UK vote upset the "special relationship" somewhat....



as bad as this one? :)

Hmm, there must be some embassy staff lurking hereabouts :-)

UK Embassy "apologises" for burning White House

Our response must not be based on emotions, but on cold hard rational thinking.

Now there is a statement, I personally don't think you always apply.

What planet are you living on?

ISIS motto: -

you are either with us or against us. If against us, we will kill you

No trial, no Geneva convention - either a bullet or a decapitation.

I said they would never be the same threat. What their motto is is irrelevant as long as they don't have the actual capacity to follow up on their motto. Look, a few thousand extremists are just not going to conquer an area with 500 million people of which the majority wouldn't stand their guts. Like I said, the worst they can technically do is set off bombs and blow up civilians. Its simply terrorism. But terrorism is the absolute weakest form of combat. Groups that rely on terrorism to achieve their goals will never win.

Bull Crap! If the Us had not intervened in Irag, ISIS would have taken over huge chunks of Iraq. If we had not invaded Iraq in the first place Saddam Hussien would have wiped out ISIS the first time they had set foot in Iraq.
Would you like to make a bet that ISIS never gets to Iran or even close to it.
Id like to know who bankrolled ISIS. Theres an organiztion who will bite the hand that fed them.

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Old James