Robert Fisk: We still haven’t grasped that this is war without frontiers

[barryqwalsh]

Belgian Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who has been identified by French authorities as the chief organiser of the Paris attacks


Early in 2014, Isil released one of its first videos. Largely unseen in Europe, it had neither the slick, cutting-edge professionalism of its later execution tapes nor the haunting "nasheed" music that accompanies most of its propaganda. Instead, a hand-held camera showed a bulldozer pushing down a rampart of sand that had marked the border between Iraq and Syria. As the machine destroyed the dirt revetment, the camera panned down to a handwritten poster lying in the sand. "End of Sykes-Picot", it said.


Robert Fisk: We still haven’t grasped that this is war without frontiers - Independent.ie

 

[Tehon]

Interesting piece......thanks for posting it. I'm curious though what you think the reader should take from it, why did you post it in the military forum? I see it as much more a political statement.

Is Fisk equating ISIS to a populist movement? And surely he must understand that the Western aligned nations have much more to do with breaking down borders than ISIS. ISIS is just taking advantage of it.

 

[barryqwalsh]

Interesting piece......thanks for posting it. I'm curious though what you think the reader should take from it, why did you post it in the military forum? I see it as much more a political statement.

Is Fisk equating ISIS to a populist movement? And surely he must understand that the Western aligned nations have much more to do with breaking down borders than ISIS. ISIS is just taking advantage of it.

Robert Fisk is a reasonable voice on the politics of the Middle East. I but it in the military section for service personnel who are tired of listening to politicians who created more problems than they solve, such as in Iraq.

 

[Tehon]

Interesting piece......thanks for posting it. I'm curious though what you think the reader should take from it, why did you post it in the military forum? I see it as much more a political statement.

Is Fisk equating ISIS to a populist movement? And surely he must understand that the Western aligned nations have much more to do with breaking down borders than ISIS. ISIS is just taking advantage of it.

Robert Fisk is a reasonable voice on the politics of the Middle East. I but it in the military section for service personnel who are tired of listening to politicians who created more problems than they solve, such as in Iraq.

I very much enjoy reading Robert Fisk. This one, while thought provoking, has left me scratching my head a bit.
Part of the problem that people have in not being able to understand what is going on in the ME is from being frozen in time. A lot has happened since the Iraq invasion that can be attributed to Obama. Like being complicit in the breaking down of borders.

 

[eagle1462010]

Interesting piece......thanks for posting it. I'm curious though what you think the reader should take from it, why did you post it in the military forum? I see it as much more a political statement.

Is Fisk equating ISIS to a populist movement? And surely he must understand that the Western aligned nations have much more to do with breaking down borders than ISIS. ISIS is just taking advantage of it.

Robert Fisk is a reasonable voice on the politics of the Middle East. I but it in the military section for service personnel who are tired of listening to politicians who created more problems than they solve, such as in Iraq.

I very much enjoy reading Robert Fisk. This one, while thought provoking, has left me scratching my head a bit.
Part of the problem that people have in not being able to understand what is going on in the ME is from being frozen in time. A lot has happened since the Iraq invasion that can be attributed to Obama. Like being complicit in the breaking down of borders.

The Skye's Picot Agreement was the setting up of independent States after the fall of the Ottoman Empire when they lost in WWI............The French and British were tired of policing the place and wanted the hell out of there.................I looked up the British documents from that time period and the British were very good at documenting the violence of that time.................They were putting out fires all over the place.......this group killing that group and vice a versa.....................The reason the West broke them up into states was to WEAKEN them so they wouldn't just grow into another Ottoman Empire that they fought in the War................The Battle of Gaza lasted for nearly a year............Ending only when the Austrailian Light Horse attacked and took Bershebba which is now a classic movie of the Charge of the light Brigade.........................

Countries like Iran and Turkey want the region to unite and destroy Israel............The Leader of Turkey used the taking of Jerusalem in his campaign speeches..........Promising to Unite all Muslims under one banner for the destruction of Israel.............The leaders of Iran have said the same..............Of course they'd have to get around the different cultures of Muslims themselves.................The Shiites hate the Sunni's.........the Kurds..........the Yardis and so on..............all at war with each other over Religious differences.......................Thus the ongoing Civil War that has engulfed the entire region into the current blood bath................

Bibbi stated correctly when he addressed Congress that it was a Game of Thrones all vying for dominance of the Region................All are vying for Regional power. The only way it ends is for a side to WIN A REGION BACK and re-establish the boundaries...........aka Syria........so the Radical element is back on a leash....................

Anyway, it's been a hell hole throughout history and it repeats............just it is now repeating with modern weapons and not swords.

 

[barryqwalsh]

The immediate tactic, however, is to diversify and widen vexation strikes throughout the Islamic world "and even outside of it, if possible" to disperse the efforts and economically drain the alliance of the enemy, or the West.

In this regard, Naji has cited attacks on tourist resorts, on oil interests and on apostate authors. The tactic has so far proven successful: on its own, the Iraq war is estimated to have cost the United States $1.1 trillion.


Paris shows the West has become a soft touch in this clash of civilisations - Independent.ie

 

[whitehall]

Why is Brit born Robert Fisk's freaking opinion important in the U.S. Military forum? Do we need a Brit born after WW2 to remind us that WW2 wasn't about borders or the Cold War wasn't about borders or the freaking Jihadist manics live in the freaking 6th century?

 

[Dr Grump]

Why is Brit born Robert Fisk's freaking opinion important in the U.S. Military forum? Do we need a Brit born after WW2 to remind us that WW2 wasn't about borders or the Cold War wasn't about borders or the freaking Jihadist manics live in the freaking 6th century?

Because he's lived in the ME for a long time and he might educate your ignorant arse...