Re: US strikes Abubakr Baghdadi
US has meddled all over the world creating big messes - from Panama to Afghanistan. No one doubts this.
As a side note, isn't that sort of white washing their role in problems around the world a bit of a problem in itself? The old "I know, but..."... I mean, asking Muslims why the nuts fill in the void is fair, but isn't it more concerning that Americans are so quick to violence themselves even when there is no good reason for it? Why is that a matter of civil debate, but when ISIS and their ilk pop up, debate must end, and Muslims must condemn and preferably act? Sounds like an implied double standard...how can anyone sensibly retort when the decks are so stacked?
But that is an aside. Swallowing pride, and the knee jerk desire to defend, I must say I agree. There is a problem:
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But the big problem is why do all these power vacuums in these middle eastern countries get filled quickly by so many religious extremists - taliban, ISIS, younameit - out to bring violent kinds of shariah and fearlessly mounting campaigns to turn back the social clock by centuries.
the main problem here isn't the US. it is endemic.
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Yes. It is endemic. There is no political culture aside from autocracy or religious. There is no rational assessment of what needs to be done in order to get a functioning society going, and self sufficient at the very least in terms of it's survival, let alone being competitive.
As we see in Syria, politics is key and if the key is not held, failure will result. Politics is the exercise of reconciling differences, whereas the only alternative to the autocratic tyrannies in Muslim countries is the faux "religious" discourse of enforcing harmony through the homogeneity of the one "right way" to practice Islam. One thing about these folks, though, is that they're reactionary. Truly. There may not be much in terms of strategy or sanity in their thinking, but they will show up to a fight, no matter how ill prepared or over matched. Sounds noble the way I put it, but I truly think they just make a big problem...bigger. These are the guys who are making a mess, and fellow Muslims are the primary ones suffering.
Your question is loaded: turning back the social clock and all. Me being a chauvinist, no thanks...we'll make that call for ourselves. But, I want us to be in a position to make that call without outside harassment. And there, if you care to point out how much of a mess the Muslim world is, I can't help but agree. And that is our fault...so I do agree it's insane to blame the US for our problems. It's not their job to enrich us, to strengthen us, to protect us, etc. Outside meddling should be expected...open warfare against us should be expected. Not be paranoid gits, but to mobilize and ensure that such won't happen without inflicting serious harm on those who would try. But that requires work...and organization. And you won't get that kind of mobilization without having, (going full circle), a proper political culture that moves us in that direction.
I've simplified many things, but that is, imho, why we're in the state we are in. Fixating on how we got there, and who did it, and so on...though easy to emote on, won't really get us anywhere.