Bombing Syria

[Saxondale]

So ignoring party politics what do we all thinks fellow TEFers.

I have my opinion but I have no idea whether or not Im totally out of step with the rest of the public or not.

So as we are such a widespread bunch ranging from total fucking lunatics, to utterly sane and rational, Id be interested to see where the opinion of such a group lies.

Lets face it our politicians are going to do whatever they like anyway.

[jayohaitchenn]

I haven't backed any of the wars in my lifetime (I'm 33, born just after the Falklands). We have no place policing the middle east. It's a no from me.

[Arriba]

No

[Skinny Pete]

Bomb the bastards! Obliterate them, vaporise them.

Syria is in Oxford isn't it?

[brocklesby red]

Are we contemplating joining the bombing of targets in Syria because we are in imminenent danger of attack ourselves or because we don't want to miss out on any say as to Syrias future once or if ISIS is defeated? I suspect it's the latter and for that reason I would vote no

[Bob's Orange]

Kind of on topic but I watched a good documentary called bitter lake on iplayer last night. It's quite interesting on how the east v west faction came about after the Second World War.

Of course, it was the yanks fault so the ending wasn't a massive surprise.

[RedRag]

Daesh has

beheaded peaceful brits out there
killed or injured 500 in Paris
wreaked atrocities on muslims out there (inc. women)
slaughtered non muslims out there in pursuing its land grabbing policy
downed a Russian tourist airplane flying from a resort popular with Brits
had attempts foiled here in the UK

the UN Security Council (inc Russia and China)

has given the "all necessary means" green light

but I don't think we should react except perhaps a diplomatic protest - unless bombing was part of a plan to sort out the whole of the Middle East problems once and for all.

Really?

[Batch]

dammed if we do, dammed if we don't.

it's s bit late to play world police and guardians of morality. we already stirred up a hornets nest with Iraq then Afghanistan . it's a mess with no easy fix.

as far as I can see bombing will slow them down but it's not likely to solve much long term.

but what do I know.

[RedRag]

Everything you say is right, Batch, except in this case is it not pretty much the whole world against Daesh except the Sunnis and Islamist terrorist Groups - I think there is a role to be part of world policing with support out there of course

[Levi lapper]

Cameron said we should bomb the heartland of the people who committed the terrible crimes in Paris, I know some Tories hate the EU but bombing Brussels seems a little extreme.

There is no state to bomb, and I dare say as many innocent victims will be blown up as were killed in Paris.

It's a shit situation but dropping bombs is not going to solve it.

[skiptotheLouMacari]

No ifs no buts, just do it.

[Red and Proud]

A few things to consider.

None of us have had a security services or millitary intelligence briefing
Jaw, jaw not war, war. However i am not sure you can negotiate with these people
Would you think differently if paris had been London or Swindon?
If we do, mission creep is my worry, though in this case v Iraq we may be more justifed

[4D]

I'd be more interested in Muslim/Arab opinion on whether we should get involved.
Islamists have been around a lot longer than IS, so the threat was there before. Perhaps it needs quelling or it will keep growing.

[Posh Red]

If we knew exactly where to bomb, it would already have happened.
The chances are we will bomb areas based on crap intelligence & kill more innocent people than IS fighters. That will probably create more IS sympathiesers than those we kill.

Troops on the ground is the only way to fight them, but will result in large numbers of casualties of ours so is not really what the politicians want

[RobertT]

I kind of see why we have to deal with the situation, and I think we do need to be part of that.  However, my worry is that we keep insisting on trying to "fix" other countries which we seem intent on doing here with Syria as well.

We want to enforce our sense of morals onto other regions and countries as if we are bastions of doing good in the world.  It's not too many generations ago we saw it as perfectly acceptable to marginalise women, enslave people, send children down mines, up chimneys and into broken machinery.  As much as I personally may find the state interpretation of living by the virtues of Islam in some countries abhorrent, it's not really for me to enforce my views on different people.  At best I can try and convince people of my point of view.

It's also a reason I'm completely and utterly unpatriotic.  "Nations" should be more like clubs or companies, something you can join when you agree with it more so than others.  It'll never change though, our history is littered with this same story just with different characters and locations.