red baron wrote on Sep 3
rd, 2014 at 3:44pm:
ISIS, thinks it's being clever beheading Sotoff but they have played right into the U.S.A.'s hands.
Stand by for massive retribution courtesy of the U.S. Air Force, this happened first time around but you can expect a bigger response this time.
The U.S. doesn't take kindly to human blackmail. They won't pay a ransom but they will hand out retribution. Wouldn't like to be in an ISIS encampment right now.
The US knows that by doing this, they would play right into ISIS's hands.
Sure the US doesn't take too kindly to blackmail. They have a policy of not paying ransoms. The reason Steven Sotloff is all over the news and not a dead Swedish or Japanese journalist is due to US policy - as difficult as that policy must be for those who impliment it. If they did pay ransoms, US citizens around the world could be much more at risk.
I can't think of anyone in the world who wants to see ISIS prosper. Surely a new rogue state in the Middle East is not in the interests of the Saudis. The Taliban maybe, but only because it takes the heat off them.
But having the US dragged into a new endless war is in the interests of many - Russia, China, and maybe even Iran if it kills off a few bloodthirsty Sunnis on their doorstep.
This time, the US needs to speak softly, even if it carries a big stick. The days of Wagner being blasted out of choppers and the smell of Nepalm in the morning are long gone. The actions of the last US administration has stymied US foreign policy for at least a generation - maybe more if the rot spreads, which in the case of ISIL, it clearly has.
Talking tough on ISIS is just self-indulgent. Quiet, decisive - and limited - action is required. The US's actions have allowed ISIL to come into being. Deposing Saddam and sacking the Ba'athists created a vacuum. Just being in Iraq sent an invitation to Al Qaida. Propping up Al Malaki and allowing him to create a corrupt, Shi'ite fiefdom gave the Sunnis a just cause.
ISIS is the direct result of the failure of US policy - failure on the biggest scale in living memory. The end result of the US invasion and occuptaion of Iraq is so different to US objectives as to present a millennial case study on what
not to do in foreign intervention.
Massive retribution would be just plain dumb, and the US are in no position to try this. Air strikes are one thing, but rarely successful against insurgencies. This time, any boots on the ground need to be wearing blue berets.
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