A couple of good reads

Compare the coverage of Mosul and East Aleppo and it tells you a lot about the propaganda we consume
In both countries, two large Sunni Arab urban centres – East Aleppo in Syria and Mosul in Iraq – are being besieged by pro-government forces strongly supported by foreign airpower. Yet the coverage is very different Patrick Cockburn
https://goo.gl/eK3cW4

Bombed Stupid A 2015 classic from Gary Brecher AKA The War Nerd archives

And at the moment, the Anglo media is all scared about the Russian air strikes in Syria. So they’ve started a counter-bombardment of their own, dumping tons of stupid on us helpless civilians.
https://goo.gl/J3V7UW

So Mercurial, you’re trying to say that smart bombs which can be dropped within a metre of the intended target are no improvement over crude barrels filled with ad hoc shrapnel that can land anywhere in a 100m radius of their target (meaning aiming near a school can easily mean hitting said school)?

@PaulJ: One of the causes of IS is the global growth of violent jihadism since about the 1970′s. It’s a global phenomenon which has its roots in the Islamic world dating back to the militant strain which has existed within Islam since its foundation. Western imperialism contributed to its revival and popular support but it has an independent existence of its own.

IS is just one of hundreds of jihadist groups worldwide who share the same basic ideology and goals – like Abu Sayyaf. You can’t defeat an enemy that you don’t understand. The state of Iraq has more than one cause. That’s why a focus on one cause of one battle – say, Bush and Iraq – will lead to continued failure in fighting the actual war.

I like the USA. As a place to love as a holiday destination and for the amazing welcome the Americans give. Plus let’s be fair the better quality lifestyle. That being said bush needs to be before the ICC that man destroyed the middle east. All of today’s problems came from him. One would hope his name echoes through the ages with stain Hitler Mao Kim jong sung/il/Un polpot as the butchers of humanity

Look at global Islamic terrorism today compared to before the US war on terror. Their numbers have multiplied by thousands as a result of their invasions and support for terrorists which, instead of targeting the actual islamists and their source in the Arabian Gulf, instead targeted three countries which allowed all religions to practice and live in peace. Syria, Libya and Iraq were amongst the safest places for Christian’s in the Arab world and Islamic extremism was not tolerated yet these countries were targeted. Look at the state if them now, overrun by head hacking lunatics while their allies Qatar and Saudi Arabia support IS. Do you seriously think Iraq would be in the state it us today if the Yanks didn’t invade it?

Iraq is now a democratic country because of Bush who liberated the country and is also now an friend of the west especially America who is assisting the Iraqi army in taking back there city from terrorist. But don’t let the facts get in the way of your anti Bush simpleton few of the world.

@PaulJ: It’s a positive feedback loop. American public opinion notices the rise of Islamism (starting with Iran in the 70′s). So they support US interventionism (which US military industrial interests also conveniently benefit from in the short term). That leads to increased popular support for the jihadists. And so the loop continues.

But here’s the kicker – any state that openly accuses the Gulf states of funding violent jihad will be hit where it hurts – at the petrol pump. The general public would love to see the likes of the Saudis etc taken to task, in theory, but politicians are well aware that they’ll baulk pretty quickly once they realize that that would have a cost. They remember the oil crises of the 1970′s.

The oil states of the middle east have the western public by the b****s and they know it. That’s why a US presidential candidate, Hillary, can take donations from those states, which is treason, and half the American electorate will pretend they don’t know that and vote for her anyway. Irish and other western European politicians and citizens, equally, look the other way when the Saudis and Qataris buy influence here. We’ve sold out for a bag of silver.

@Stephen: That depends on what you mean by democratic. It’s now under sharia law. That is democratic in the sense that that’s what the vast majority of Iraqi muslims want. Democracy in Iraq means allowing people to live under laws that are incompatible with human rights – as determined by the European Court of Human Rights and the House of Lords.

I certainly think they should be free to be ruled as they wish, but it’s important that people understand that ‘democracy’ in Iraq does not mean quite the same thing as it means to most western Europeans.

“Opponents argue that the vote infringes constitutional guarantees of freedom of religious belief for minority groups such as Christians.”

“Ammar Toma, an MP who supported the ban, argued that it was justified because the constitution stipulates that ‘no law that contradicts the established provisions of Islam may be established.’”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37743180

@Marlowemallow: “Parliament in Iraq has voted to ban the sale, import and production of alcohol, with backers of the move arguing that its availability contradicts Islam and is unconstitutional.”