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In reply to the discussion: Russia has started bombing ISIS/coordinating with Syrian gov. [View all]polly7
(20,582 posts)8. The Uses of ISIS
By Justin Podur
Source: teleSUR English
September 27, 2015
In the West, ISIS videos are used to stoke nightmares and justify police powers, and are politically valuable to fear-mongering politicians. As the collapse of Syria proceeds under the weight of the war and millions of Syrians are on the move, Westerners are being led to believe that every refugee family might be a secret ISIS cell. Local countries are hit far harder by the refugee crisis: Western countries are only taking a small fraction of the refugees.
Despite the horrors of their videos, and the airstrikes that have been organized against ISIS, the West, and its allies, have found several uses for ISIS.
ISIS provides Western allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar a way to advance their influence in the region against Iran. ISIS provides an outlet for the people that Saudi clerics have fired up to hate everyone but their sect, people who might otherwise stay in their own Gulf countries and take up arms.
ISIS provides the troops for Western ally, Turkey, to fight the Kurds, who created an autonomous zone in Iraq, have recently done so in Syria and have long been trying to advance their agenda of self-determination in Turkey.
For Western ally, Israel, ISIS bleeds Hizbollah and has helped destroy Syria, creates massive numbers of refugees, and so diverts and destroys military forces that might otherwise be facing off with Israel.
Despite the horrors of their videos, and the airstrikes that have been organized against ISIS, the West, and its allies, have found several uses for ISIS.
ISIS provides Western allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar a way to advance their influence in the region against Iran. ISIS provides an outlet for the people that Saudi clerics have fired up to hate everyone but their sect, people who might otherwise stay in their own Gulf countries and take up arms.
ISIS provides the troops for Western ally, Turkey, to fight the Kurds, who created an autonomous zone in Iraq, have recently done so in Syria and have long been trying to advance their agenda of self-determination in Turkey.
For Western ally, Israel, ISIS bleeds Hizbollah and has helped destroy Syria, creates massive numbers of refugees, and so diverts and destroys military forces that might otherwise be facing off with Israel.
What could be more important than an end to the war and the defeat of ISIS? For the West, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Israel, many things: weakening Iran and Hizbollah, showing toughness to Russia, the chance of overthrowing Assad, destroying the basis for Kurdish independence. To those steering the Syrian war, these are higher priorities than the plight of millions of refugees and the destruction of several countries.
Full article: https://zcomm.org/znetarticle/the-uses-of-isis/
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I'm not sure I am unhappy about all of this. I think we should let the Russian's own it.
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#1
Your posts are a rapidly accelerating gish gallop of unfocused points and accusations.
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#22
As always, trying to mischaracterize other folks posts laughing at your lack of logic
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#32
you were an apologist for Gaddafi and now for Assad. And for the homophobic fascist Putin
uhnope
Sep 2015
#113
It's stunning how people refuse to admit Bush started this. It would be too hard to
bettyellen
Sep 2015
#37
For some folks, when the truth doesn't suit their agenda, it's OK to just make stuff up.
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#39
I'm not the one who can't get right the group that started the Iraq war. You've changed it several
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#47
You need to calm down. We've seen dozens of posts here laying this all at HRC and BO's feet with no
bettyellen
Sep 2015
#56
Happy? angry? You flatter yourself. And babble on about the east as if someone
bettyellen
Sep 2015
#69
And without a point. Reread that persons posts and see if you can detect an overall
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#82
The point is to derail towards some imaginary conversation they'd prefer to have.
bettyellen
Oct 2015
#125
"Russia is bombing the fuck out of opponents to the brutal dictator Assad"
Jesus Malverde
Sep 2015
#92
you think it's funny that moderate opponents are being slaughtered and you call them terrorists?
uhnope
Sep 2015
#97
We did a lot more than just train the rebels - we flew bombing missions just like Russia and
karynnj
Sep 2015
#5
Even before the first shot was fired in Daraa on 3/18/11, the opposition was armed
leveymg
Sep 2015
#64
Thank you for dissecting the convenient narrative of all this all began.
Comrade Grumpy
Sep 2015
#114
Yes, take it with our blessing. What will be interesting going forward is...
stevenleser
Sep 2015
#28
Russia is there to shore up Assad. There's little sign they're going after ISIS as opposed
geek tragedy
Sep 2015
#66
most governments will try to maintain power when faced with violent revolution.
killbotfactory
Oct 2015
#133
Not only Congress, but the American people as well. Some of us have "selective" memories, or....
Tarheel_Dem
Sep 2015
#80