freediver wrote on Feb 26^th, 2017 at 12:38pm:


UK and USA didn't like business competition.

Unforgiven wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 3:13pm:


True, but we managed to find an alternative source of energy to human labour.

When Texas ran out, we decided to raid the Middle East for oil instead. 

Freeeeeedom, innit.

Tunisia is a North African country bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert. In the capital, Tunis, the Bardo Museum has archaeological exhibits from Roman mosaics to Islamic art. The city’s medina quarter encompasses the massive Al-Zaytuna Mosque.

The population is 99 percent Sunni Muslim. Groups that together constitute the remaining 1 percent of the population include Shia Muslims, Baha'is, Jews, and Christians.

Tunisia's security crackdown breeding new generation of IS fighters: Hedi Hammami
Farid Farid

However in the aftermath of the revolution Tunisia has also been rocked by a series of deadly terrorist attacks that have intensified since 2015. A state of emergency was declared in November 2015 and has been renewed ever since, giving authorities more leeway in detaining terrorism suspects.

The country is also the largest source of foreign fighters globally joining Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Sharing a 500-kilometre border with Libya, where Islamic State until recently had a stronghold in Sirte, has also been a concern for the small North African country.

Tunisians who spent time in overcrowded prisons have claimed responsibility for attacks overseas. Anis Amiri, who ploughed through Christmas markets in Berlin in December 2016, killing 12 people, was an escaped Tunisian national.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also recently met with Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed to discuss deporting Tunisians whose asylum applications had failed.

Authorities in Tunisia have enforced a strict travel ban preventing over 5000 people, including Hammami, from joining militant groups.

"You have around 18,000 youth willing to go to theatres of war in Syria and Iraq. That is a frightening number. What are the national programs to stop this phenomenon? Nothing," he told Fairfax Media.

Many have been imprisoned upon their return but security forces have expanded their powers of arrest to hold citizens suspected of radicalisation through physical appearance, such as men growing beards and women wearing the niqab (full-face veil).

Grendel wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 3:54pm:


I know, they found new oil.

Won't say your IQ, eh? I understand.

You're too humble, Grendel, that's your problem.

Poll added.

There is no question that the mess in the ME has been exacerbated by US policy, but it is not the only meddler in Middle Eastern affairs, and the US in not the root-cause of the problem. Even if oil could be taken out of the equation, religion,tribalism and ignorance would still be there to supply as much disharmony as anyone could desire.