That’s one of the main reasons poor Obama — in spite his efforts to disentangle the U.S. from the mess in the Middle East — is now being dragged back in. (It’s not just Europeans who are worried.) He has my utmost sympathy.
This New York Times article explains why some American boys became jihadists — they wanted to do something important with their lives. They wanted to be heroes. That’s the dark side of man’s search for meaning.
September 10, 2014
Total rubbish CM. I disagree. What motivates these beasts is sheer hatred for everything that is civilised. They have been brainwashed by the Wahabi school of Islam funded by the Saudis who in turn have been mollycoddled by the USA and the West. Indian Muslims have also gone to join up with ISIS. The Indian Muslims are very nervous about how the whole thing will pan out if these hotheads come back into India and do something stupid.
Nope, sorry. That doesn’t explain why Americans or Europeans convert to Islam and become jihadists. Here’s the story>/a> of a nurse in Colorado who fell in love with a jihadist over the internet and was going to join him.
This is on the News constantly. You can’t get away from it. And it doesn’t “make your day”. Sarcasm
It’s a testosterone thing. Men are always wanting to be macho & do battle. Some of these isis (isil) recruits don’t even know the Sunni philosophy & what they’re fighting for.
I don’t watch or listen to the news. I get my news via print or the internet, and it’s easy to skip the articles I don’t want to read.
I’m skipping the President’s address on his strategy to combat ISIS. I know it all & I’m sure you do too.
Such a mess. What a terrible way to try to find meaning in life. I’d never want to be president of our country, that’s for sure.
I agree — with both (1) that’s a terrible way to find meaning and (2) being so glad I’m not the president.
I don’t have any sympathy for the President on this. It’s his job. It wasn’t that long ago he was downplaying the terrorist threats to the country. This current threat should have been anticipated and prepared for. If it wasn’t, then this is another shameful failure of the intelligence community, Homeland Security, and the current administration.
So far as young Americans who go to fight in foreign wars — if the group they are fighting for declares itself the enemy of America, then the young Americans are, too, and, as far as I’m concerned, they are traitors. I understand that they may be troubled, pliable young Americans. Unfortunately, some of them may pose a very real danger to America. I can just imagine radicalized Americans similar to those in the NY Times article or the young nurse making their way back to America and, after some period of time, waging jihad here in the homeland. The radicals of the 60s wouldn’t hold a candle to the potential danger of these “young” people.
Yes, the radicals waging jihad here is the big worry. I do feel sorry for Obama, though. I feel sorry for anyone who wants to be president and gets what he/she wishes.
Yes. And we don’t ask why they don’t find it in their own cultures.
I think the return offers real opportunities. Debriefing could provide lots of useful information. Both about where they have been and who they associate with on return and such. This seems like a great opportunity for the security services to find out more about ‘Radical Islam’. (We note that those piloting drones to blow up women and children aren’t known in our media as ‘Radical Secularists’.)
I think the drone strikes have probably helped recruitment for the Islamists. The problem with the radicals coming back is the government isn’t sure who they are. We’ll just have to see.