Is there a growing national consensus for action against ISIL?

[smilersarah]

How much "collateral damage" is acceptable?

 

unfortunately as much as it takes, IS have no fear of collateral damage, you have to fight fire with fire, we cannot be frightened off by what might get caught up in it.

[JFKvsNixon]

I hope not, and I am not sure it is. Russia and China too have issues with extremist islamists. One agenda does not necessarily exclude another.

 

I think that currently the West views Russia and China as the bigger threat than ISIL.

[smilersarah]

A bit like the Americans' approach to North Vietnam? How did that turn out?

 

totally different situation and lessons were learnt and in Vietnam troops were on the ground, here we only need troops to clear up afterwards.

[JFKvsNixon]

totally different situation and lessons were learnt and in Vietnam troops were on the ground, here we only need troops to clear up afterwards.

 

No, all the troops were in South Vietnam, there weren't any troops on the ground in North Vietnam taking the war to them, it was seen as being politically impossible to do so. So America tried to bomb them into submission.

[DnAuK]

There's the problem, has any war been won without putting in the troops?

 

I think their could be one if they are stupid enough to attack anyone with an itchy nuclear trigger finger like Putin.

 

But either way, technology is improving all the time. I don't think we are that far off winning a conventional war with technology these days.

[Blaster Bate]

A bit like the Americans' approach to North Vietnam? How did that turn out?

The problem with the Vietnam conflict was that the military were prevented on so many occasions from attacking priority targets by politicians that the conflict became untenable.

[smilersarah]

I think their could be one if they are stupid enough to attack anyone with an itchy nuclear trigger finger like Putin.

 

But either way, technology is improving all the time. I don't think we are that far off winning a conventional war with technology these days.

 

thats the difference i dont think we would or will see an attack on Russian soil because if there was one and it was proved it was IS there would be one almighty backlash from Putin consequences or not?

[tzijlstra]

thats the difference i dont think we would or will see an attack on Russian soil because if there was one and it was proved it was IS there would be one almighty backlash from Putin consequences or not?

 

There already are numerous terrorist attacks on Russian soil, mainly from disgruntled Chechens who are largely islamic. Similarly, the Chinese have frequent suicide bombings by Uguri, we don't hear a lot about what goes on there, but it certainly happens.

 

Here is an example.

[Alan Ladd]

I think that the days of NATO, Russia and China working together militarily are long gone.

 

You are probably right.

 

When we did fight together it was because we had common enemies in Germany and Japan.

 

BUT, in a broad swathe across Africa from Nigeria in the West to the borders of Iran and Turkey ISIL is on the march.

 

Riots took place only last week in Muslim areas of China.Russia is terrified of another Chechnya.

 

We could, over the next few years see a growing willingness to engage together to fight this menace. A menace possibly as serious as the one that erupted from this area 1500 years ago and led, after a thousand years of conquest, to Islam besieging Vienna.

 

We under rate this menace at our peril.

[JFKvsNixon]

You are probably right.

 

When we did fight together it was because we had common enemies in Germany and Japan.

 

BUT, in a broad swathe across Africa from Nigeria in the West to the borders of Iran and Turkey ISIL is on the march.

 

Riots took place only last week in Muslim areas of China.Russia is terrified of another Chechnya.

 

We could, over the next few years see a growing willingness to engage together to fight this menace. A menace possibly as serious as the one that erupted from this area 1500 years ago and led, after a thousand years of conquest, to Islam besieging Vienna.

 

We under rate this menace at our peril.

 

As I said earlier in this thread, I think that the West rates Russia and China as being the bigger threat.