Comments on: Bombing Syria

By: Tim Hall

Tim Hall — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:27:29 +0000

Just taking a break. Will be back.

By: Colum Paget

Colum Paget — Thu, 03 Dec 2015 12:22:40 +0000

In other news: have you really quit twitter?

Colum

By: Colum Paget

Colum Paget — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 20:18:02 +0000

I think I know. I direct you to John Mershimer’s excellent “The Tragedy of Great Power Politics” where he makes a good case that bombing alone has never had any measurable impact in the history of warfare. Without a major commitment of ‘boots on the ground’ to take and hold ISIS territory, and without a plan to restructure the region and offer a better future for its people, bombing will only make things worse. We’ll bomb, killing a few more innocent people, radicalizing others, damanging what little infrastructure Syria has left, getting some ISIS targets in the process who will be swiftly replaced, and then ISIS will likely attack back. What’s been gained?

Without an extensive (and likely costly) full-spectrum plan to return the region to stability, bombing is just gesture politics. Bombing as part of a real plan of action, I would support, but first *we’d all love to see the plan*

By: David Meadows

David Meadows — Wed, 02 Dec 2015 10:31:44 +0000

Considering that Labour pushed us into the Iraq war and are now saying “don’t bomb,” and the Liberal Democrats opposed the Iraq war and are now saying “bomb,” and, bewilderingly, UKIP are saying “don’t bomb the Muslims,” I’m not really clear on what “standing with your own tribe” means these days.