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It's their narrative, it's clearly laid out in their magazine and the majority consensus, on both sides, is that they're continuing with this narrative because it works. Why do you think it doesn't?
I did not say I didn't think it worked. It does work, it is working very well, and it will continue to work whether or not we extend our RAF campaign across the now non-existant Syrian border. Do you think if we stopped the campaign in Iraq, they would stop trying to bomb London?
William.-
Do you think if we stopped the campaign in Iraq, they would stop trying to bomb London?
I don't recall any middle eastern terrorists bombing London before the Iraq campaign. I don't recall any Irish bombs since the talks.
Obviously the answer to your question is no. Do you think if we continue bombing Iraq and Syria they will stop?
dave4
Can you explain your rationale for this?
My thinking is that it isn't about anyone reacting by deciding that, having been bombed, ISIS are the people that they want or need to support. It's about the narrative that ISIS will paint from what happens during and after the bombings. The narrative where the deaths of brave warriors and innocent muslims is both an insult to Islam and an outcome that Western Imperialists are more than happy to have. The narrative where the destruction of their homeland is paired with the abuse of Muslims across the western world. The narrative where only ISIS truly cares about their life and spiritual well being and the bombings clearly demonstrate this. It's their narrative, it's clearly laid out in their magazine and the majority consensus, on both sides, is that they're continuing with this narrative because it works. Why do you think it doesn't?
This really is the crux of the issue. Is there a place in this conflict for the use of well planned and even better informed precise tactical airstrikes on defined military targets with a fully risk assessed analysis of the impact on non-combative people and facilities to bring that as close to zero as possible? Probably, and that there is the very difficult decision to make. Bomb Syria: yes or no? Is not that thing though.
It's easy though. You can reply the footage of the bombing and you can count a literal stack of dead bodies. Its tangible, it feels real, its something that you can be seen to have done. It's far harder to do something where you try to count who's still living because of what you've done, particularly where some people won't want to believe you.