Terrorism

[jacob]

@Ego - My point was that the psychological methods we use to fill our ranks are the same psychological methods they use to fill their ranks or anyone uses to fill anyone's ranks. ("Here have a blogging award signifying that you're a Top100 personal finance blogger!") Authority then makes violence possible once the ranks are filled. We are not exceptional in our recruitment methods and neither are they.

The soft power strategy to prevent the violence would be to prevent filling the ranks, that is, using a strategy that diminishes the ranks or reduces the rate of refilling (such as publishing (in media and social media) stories about how it sucks to join a terrorist org and the stories of people who escaped IS controlled territory); and avoid strategies that add to the enemy ranks (such as publishing terrorist attack successes in the media and providing material for social media such as drone strikes gone wrong and political support for carpet bombing, etc.).

I think the problem is that in our fervor to run our own PR campaign, we're forgetting that a) the enemy is also running their own PR campaign; and b) The internet makes it impossible to contain information in the same way that pre-internet could; thus people get access to both sides. If people aren't strongly attached to one side already, for example, because they've been singled out as being different as is the case in Europe, it becomes tempting to join the other side. This would be the source of the domestic recruitment in Europe.

Compare to the persistent gang-cultures in poor neighbourhoods in the US. It's exactly the same dynamics. If you no longer believe that you have any future in the traditional society (go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a job, make money, buy stuff ...) and traditional society actually confirms that (we don't hire people with a rep-sheet, from a particular zip code, with your skin color, ... ) it becomes easier to join a gang that offers fast money, nice cars, power, ... or whatever. Because poor/cordoned neighbourhoods aren't internationally affiliated in the US, you get organized crime as an outlet. In Europe, these poor/cordoned neighbourhoods are internationally affiliated (because of a bungled immigration policy) and so instead of organized crime you get international terrorism as an outlet.

[George the original one]

"Who Will Become a Terrorist?"
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/who ... spartanntp

But the years that followed have done little to narrow the list of likely precursors. Rather, the murky science seems to imply that nearly anyone is a potential terrorist. Some studies suggest that terrorists are likely to be educated or extroverted; others say uneducated recluses are at risk. Many studies seem to warn of the adolescent condition, singling out young, impatient men with a sense of adventure who are “struggling to achieve a sense of selfhood.”

[George the original one]

"Who lives, dies in attacks can give clues about terror cells"
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/who ... spartanntp

Why Laachraoui had gone from bomb maker to suicide bomber remains unclear. Had the group found a replacement? Had he become too much of a liability as police closed in on his trail? The answer remains a mystery.

"It's strange," said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer who is now with the Soufan Group security firm. "They don't have a shortage of people that are willing to become a walking bomb, but there's always a shortage of talent. It's like having General Eisenhower lead the charge at D-Day. It's possible but it seems to be a supreme waste of talent."

[Chad]

@Chad
Harris is very good at explaining how current practices of Islam are far more dangerous than a person in North Carolina having to use a restroom based upon their sex and not their identity. Nobody wants their 14 year old daughter having to share a bathroom with a grown man because that person identifies as a female that day. Why not just have a unisex option for goodness sake? Do we really need legislation for this?

I agree on Harris. I may not have explained myself properly.

It's not just about the bathrooms though. They, of course, had to tuck this in to the provision, "Prohibits local governments from passing LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination protections."

You'll have to be more specific about the important parts of your previous post. Is it the comparison between the Bible and the Quran? I am of no religion, but to be fair to the Christians, the author of the article cited was using Old Testament examples.

My religious comparison was not even a 1/3rd of what I wrote. I guess it was distracting as that seems to be what everyone noticed. I am more concerned with the use of hard or soft power in the fight. Everyone always defaults to hard power, which too much of will only prolong this issue.

Christians today use the New Testament with it's message of sacrifice and love (Happy Easter!). More importantly, it is what one does with their belief system that matters, and I believe we have a clear winner between the two in which one is more "good" at the moment.

Yet, they always appear to be the most supportive of going to war, drone strikes, etc. I do agree we have a clear "winner" between the two, but I hesitate to be that positive.

I am not going to comment on the rest of your post because I was a little confused as far as your message. It's me, not you. If you would like to simplify it for me that would be great. And please point out what I have missed.

It could easily be me. I wrote that late and was rather tired. Sounded good at the time, but I'm unsure it was written well. I probably need to re-read it now. The main point was the hard vs soft power I mentioned above. I don't think this gets discussed correctly. It's always portrayed as bomb, send troops, etc. or nothing. There is a significant aspect to the "nothing" part (soft power), that never gets discussed and is the crux of the strategic discussion.

[Chad]

An update on the actual conflict in Iraq:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mi ... story.html

Positive steps, but the divisions still remain on all sides. This will take some time.

[jacob]

@Chad - A more stable long term solution could be to balkanize the entire area (Iraq and parts of Syria) along Sunni, Shiite, Alawite, Kurdish,... lines. It is in these areas where the greatest mix of various orientations lie. Otherwise, it's pretty clean with Shiites to the east and Sunnis to the west. If people would stop fighting it might even be possible---being very optimistic here---to draw the new borders via general elections or somesuch.

It's likely that this option is not on the table because the west would prefer to do business with a single entity(*); not send a signal that we're okay with balkanizing any and all other countries with internal divisions (too many other countries might get inspired by that---e.g. Ukraine/Russian annexation of Crimea); and, in particular, not suddenly legitimize groupings that has so far been deemed terrorist orgs (e.g. Turkey vs the Kurds, and even IS itself).

(*) It would be much harder for the west to run pipelines to the EU (that's where most of oil from the ME goes) in defiance of Russian pricing controls (Russian natgas is a serious geopolitical liability for Europe) if companies had to deal with 3-4 smaller nations with their own interests. It's hard enough already. This whole Syrian issue was initially allowed to destabilize (with the west supplying weapons to "moderate extremists" which then fell into the hands of IS... big part of the reason IS is using US hardware) because Assad was blocking the Qatar-Turkey line in order to support Russia.

[Ego]

This whole Syrian issue was initially allowed to destabilize (with the west supplying weapons to "moderate extremists" which then fell into the hands of IS... big part of the reason IS is using US hardware) because Assad was blocking the Qatar-Turkey line in order to support Russia.

Management by crisis. A lot of interesting changes are occurring snap-fast and would-be oppositions are tied up by their own confused interests... or they are literally tied up.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/03/25/eu ... edom-fail/

[Chad]

@jacob
I couldn't agree more concerning the situation or the solution. Everyone wants their own countries, but the Sunni would like to see the Alawites suffer a little for their former oppressive regime and the Shiite would like to see the Sunni suffer for theirs, while the Kurds just want out of the whole thing and then to take their chunk from Turkey. Of course, Turkey doesn't want to do that and the Saudi's don't want a purely Shiite and Iranian ally on their border, etc. etc. Sorting out a mess made even messier over the years.

[BRUTE]

the interesting part would be explaining to sovereign governments why jacob/chad are cutting up their borders and giving control to others. brute suspects they really want to keep any square inch of land they can get their hands on.

[Chad]

the interesting part would be explaining to sovereign governments why jacob/chad are cutting up their borders and giving control to others. brute suspects they really want to keep any square inch of land they can get their hands on.

The governments wouldn't be happy, but the majority of the people would be. The real issue would be the pieces of land with water and oil. Though, Iraq might have enough oil to spread around to hit the sweet spot of satisfying everyone and no one at the same time. Then we could watch the Saudis and Iranians try to tear it all apart.

[BRUTE]

so chad is saying that there exists a fundamental conflict of interest between humans and their governments?

brute is speechless.

[7Wannabe5]

I believe that maybe I have become too emotionally engaged to think rationally about this issue. Apparently, FOX just did a piece on the community in which I live because the city council became majority Muslim in the last election, and many of the thousands of commentators were of the opinion that my neighborhood ought to be bombed out of existence. Then I think about all the young children recently immigrated from Bangladesh, Yemen , etc. that I teach. Like this one 5 year old who is a head shorter than the rest of the children because he has some sort of congenital condition, but he is unfailingly cheerful, clever and tough. It was over 90 degrees in the classroom the first week of school, and he had no English, but by the end of the second day he had learned how to say "Water" and he was so proud of himself. One day he finished his lunch before most of the other kids and was still hungry, so he used his low height to advantage and crept down the lunch table aisle, snagging food of the trays of his classmates. It just makes me feel so sad and frustrated that these children may be at some risk, and I don't even know what to do to help, except maybe wish that everybody with an IQ under 100 would be denied suffrage.

[7Wannabe5]

@ffj: Yes, that is it. FOX was just doing it's usual predictably biased spin on the situation, but some of the comments of their viewers were flat-out scary. I have lived in a number of communities over the years, and the debate over the volume of the call to prayer here is much more tame than the debate over roaming cats in a very ethnically homogeneous rural small town I once lived in. In fact, my local-civic-activist friend and I are on different sides on this issue. More of an IJ vs. EP thing than a religious issue. One funny thing is that you are allowed to have up to 6 of a variety of small animals here, but not chickens, because the small ethnic markets feared competition from the urban farmers. If FOX news had asked any old Polish people around here if they would rather be living next door to a nice Muslim immigrant family vs. a house full of medical marijuana using hipster kids then that might have been informative. They also completely neglected to mention that many of the immigrants from Eastern Europe are newly arrived here. Lots of people from Albania, Bosnia, etc. with very little English, and they tend to hang out with people who fluently speak their language too- (duh)

BTW, my gardens are just a couple blocks away from the Middle Eastern restaurant that has that beautiful painting shown in the clip. The very nice man who owns the restaurant just had it coated to protect it from fading. One thing people should hold in mind is that there are burnt out buildings with slogans such as "I Will Kill You!" spray-painted on them walking distance from this neighborhood.

Of course, I do not want to deny anybody the right to vote. I am just made so exhausted by the weight of ignorance sometimes.

[enigmaT120]

A guy I used to work with had a funny idea for a voting test. One of the questions on the ballot would be "Do you think Elvis is still alive?" If you say "yes" then you continue to vote, but it won't be counted.

I wish these entertaining people would quit retiring before I can. They make work a lot better.

[Chad]

Ha! That's actually a great idea if you could keep the real purpose a secret. You could also use, "Do you think we landed on the moon?"

[Ego]

Russian Ambassador assassinated in Turkey. If the perpetrator has Gulenists ties this could get ugly.

[Chad]

Erdogan will make this connection no matter what. Just more of an excuse for him to become a truly brutal dictator. Ataturk is rolling over in his grave.

[BRUTE]

guy was shouting allah akbar like a pro in the video brute saw

[ShriekingFeralHatred]

blah

[jennypenny]

As always, hate to beat a dead horse but simple racism would have prevented this with 100% reliability.

Yeah, cause white people never do stupid shit.