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You have to see ISIS for what it is. They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. If you legitimately fear them you are misguided. Th

You have to see ISIS for what it is. They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. If you legitimately fear them you are misguided. They exist to push you, you make you buy into the current status quo. Who are they up against? The most powerful and technologically advanced military ever in the history of the world. That military spends more than the next 5 largest ones combined. Its like Urkel vs Bruce Lee. They don't stand a chance. Sure they might blow up a shopping center or two, but the fact is law enforcement kills more people in than ISIS ever did. You want to end ISIS? Sorry there isn't a quick way to do so. Build a school for women in one of the countries they inhabit, protect it with drones and soldiers, build power plants, and give them internet connections. Change the culture, not at the end of a gun but with sandwiches for their hungry, water for their thirsty, and knowledge for their curious. Do this everywhere we are invited, and then do it in the places we are not. Then in a few generations took a look the world you have created, I promise you it will be a better one.

simonh 11y ago
> You have to see ISIS for what it is. They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. Similar things were said about the Viet Cong, except for the cellphones. The Mijahideen defeated the Soviet Union and arguably lead to it's demise. The US got kicked out of Lebanon and Somalia. I happen to think that won't happen with ISIS, mainly due to the oil but also because the West has allies nearby in the region, or at least people we can work with such as the Kurds, Shia Iraqis and Turkey. Still, being high tech and spending big doesn't guarantee victory. ISIS may not be an existential threat to the USA, sure, but they're doing a lot of damage to a lot of people and it looks like they will continue to do so for quite some time to come.
- cmdrfred 11y ago
  The VC were defending their homes, as were the Mujahideen for the most part. They work because they have some popular support. Women of the village make them dinner and clean their clothes. You have to put them in a untenable position. Make them attack solders around the UN truck handing out bottled water and medical care to children, then the power plant supplying the village, then the school. Be the good guy. Eventually the villagers supporting them will want a better life for their daughters and sons and will no longer do so. You will win their hearts and minds. A military or diplomatic victory isn't required, a cultural one is. Data like this puts the real threat of ISIS in perspective: http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/06/how-scared-of-terrorism-should http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/06/how-scared-of-terroris...
  - simonh 11y ago
    I'm sure those statistics are very comforting to the Yazidis. You're quite right about tactics. They need to be contained militarily, but they won't be defeated that way.
  - barry-cotter 11y ago
    Are there any examples of that actually working? We have plenty of examples of utter brutality and backing complete bastards working, see Taiwan and South Korea, or earlier military campaigns in Afghanistan where people actually won instead of declaring victory and going home. Winning them over with kindness doesn't have a great track record unless there's some other bastard to be the iron fist.
- tomjen3 11y ago
  All of those are only on issue because the US operates with extremely restrictive rules of engagements. They had a k:d ratio of 1000:1 in Somalia. The truth is if the US wanted they could have ended the troubles in Iraq. It just wasn't worth it.
wwweston 11y ago
> They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. Sounds a little bit like hackers in a garage...
rokhayakebe 11y ago
They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. I imagine what would happen if you dropped high end cellphones and tablets in these parts of the world; mobile phones equipped with super fast free internet connection, and a library of great videos, content, knowledge. Both fun and educational obviously. My point is that once a man is learned and cultured, it becomes harder to get him to hate another regardless of their differences.

simonh 11y ago

> You have to see ISIS for what it is. They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. Similar things were said about the Viet Cong, except for the cellphones. The Mijahideen defeated the Soviet Union and arguably lead to it's demise. The US got kicked out of Lebanon and Somalia. I happen to think that won't happen with ISIS, mainly due to the oil but also because the West has allies nearby in the region, or at least people we can work with such as the Kurds, Shia Iraqis and Turkey. Still, being high tech and spending big doesn't guarantee victory. ISIS may not be an existential threat to the USA, sure, but they're doing a lot of damage to a lot of people and it looks like they will continue to do so for quite some time to come.

cmdrfred 11y ago
The VC were defending their homes, as were the Mujahideen for the most part. They work because they have some popular support. Women of the village make them dinner and clean their clothes. You have to put them in a untenable position. Make them attack solders around the UN truck handing out bottled water and medical care to children, then the power plant supplying the village, then the school. Be the good guy. Eventually the villagers supporting them will want a better life for their daughters and sons and will no longer do so. You will win their hearts and minds. A military or diplomatic victory isn't required, a cultural one is. Data like this puts the real threat of ISIS in perspective: http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/06/how-scared-of-terrorism-should http://reason.com/archives/2011/09/06/how-scared-of-terroris...
- simonh 11y ago
  I'm sure those statistics are very comforting to the Yazidis. You're quite right about tactics. They need to be contained militarily, but they won't be defeated that way.
- barry-cotter 11y ago
  Are there any examples of that actually working? We have plenty of examples of utter brutality and backing complete bastards working, see Taiwan and South Korea, or earlier military campaigns in Afghanistan where people actually won instead of declaring victory and going home. Winning them over with kindness doesn't have a great track record unless there's some other bastard to be the iron fist.
tomjen3 11y ago
All of those are only on issue because the US operates with extremely restrictive rules of engagements. They had a k:d ratio of 1000:1 in Somalia. The truth is if the US wanted they could have ended the troubles in Iraq. It just wasn't worth it.

wwweston 11y ago

> They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. Sounds a little bit like hackers in a garage...

rokhayakebe 11y ago

They are teenagers in tin shacks and caves with yesterdays cell phones. I imagine what would happen if you dropped high end cellphones and tablets in these parts of the world; mobile phones equipped with super fast free internet connection, and a library of great videos, content, knowledge. Both fun and educational obviously. My point is that once a man is learned and cultured, it becomes harder to get him to hate another regardless of their differences.