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North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 03:25 - Sep 4 by Bluesquid
"IS did not expand to Libya, Sinai, Nigeria, etc. Preexisting local insurgent groups merely took on the name, to gain status."
Did i say they expanded?
ISIS increased in number in North Africa but perhaps you don't agree with the commons report.
"You're picking on individual issues and ignoring a mass of other events."
You know what your ignoring?
What the US Secretary of State at the time said.
ISIS were very close to taking Damascus and what were the US doing?
"And we know that this was growing--we were watching. We saw that Daesh was growing in strength..."
[Post edited 4 Sep 2017 3:54]
Why would the USA be worried about threats to Assad? He is no friend of theirs.
Particularly in early 2015 when they were trying to nurse a fragile Iraqi mulitary through a crisis which had seen IS approach the northern edge of Baghdad. Plus, at that time, the threat was entirely from the "caliphate" on the ground in the ME. The international terrorist threat from IS did not emerge until the end of that year.
In any case, they were only doing the same as Assad, who was happy to ignore IS as long as it and al-Nusra were chewing up the rebel groups directly opposing him. He only freaked out when, having consolidated, they turned round and attacked him too.
It does not make one iota of practical difference if other insurgent groups in Africa and Asia assume the IS identity. They were there before it appeared and will remain, again renamed, after it has disappeared.
North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 07:51 - Sep 4 by Guthrum
Why would the USA be worried about threats to Assad? He is no friend of theirs.
Particularly in early 2015 when they were trying to nurse a fragile Iraqi mulitary through a crisis which had seen IS approach the northern edge of Baghdad. Plus, at that time, the threat was entirely from the "caliphate" on the ground in the ME. The international terrorist threat from IS did not emerge until the end of that year.
In any case, they were only doing the same as Assad, who was happy to ignore IS as long as it and al-Nusra were chewing up the rebel groups directly opposing him. He only freaked out when, having consolidated, they turned round and attacked him too.
It does not make one iota of practical difference if other insurgent groups in Africa and Asia assume the IS identity. They were there before it appeared and will remain, again renamed, after it has disappeared.
[Post edited 4 Sep 2017 7:54]
First of all you said Palmyra and the ISIS trucks were not under US air control then you jumped to Assad and Russia were strenuously resisting any air incursions and finally you went for well they were both pretty insignificant anyway.
Now i don't think watching ISIS grow stronger and stronger, so strong in fact that they nearly took the capital city of Syria equates with 'pulling your finger out' do you?
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North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 10:41 - Sep 4 with 1809 views
North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 11:59 - Sep 3 by blueislander
In this case North Korea is totally dependent on China , and they have no other friends that could circumvent the sanctions. In this case I really believe that sanctions would work. But, as I said, I don't hold any great hopes of China imposing them.
This is probably a very stupid question as I don't know much about NK, but does the fat megolomaniac actually care about 'his people' enough to worry if they don't get food to eat or energy to heat their homes? He comes across like a power-crazed Bond villain who's only concerned with his own mad schemes and personal comfort.
Another question (sorry if already answered, haven't finished reading the thread yet). Do the ordinary people of NK have internet access, and if so, does that include unrestricted access to twitter and facebook? I imagine it's restricted, but if not, you'd think that might be the best means of intervention - hope for a mass public uprising.
Superb Q & A on R5l this morning 9-10am with John Simpson; and 8.30-9am without him.
North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 09:50 - Sep 4 by Bluesquid
First of all you said Palmyra and the ISIS trucks were not under US air control then you jumped to Assad and Russia were strenuously resisting any air incursions and finally you went for well they were both pretty insignificant anyway.
Now i don't think watching ISIS grow stronger and stronger, so strong in fact that they nearly took the capital city of Syria equates with 'pulling your finger out' do you?
The second was the reason for the first and the third was why they didn't push it harder. Why clash with the Russians over something which isn't that important?
IS never seriously threatened to take Damascus. The closest they got was a bit of activity in the Palestinian camps on the outskirts (which was dealt with). The US did, however, make strenuous efforts to remove the danger to the capital of Iraq.
Before they swept down the Tigris in early summer 2014, IS were a fairly small splinter of al Qaeda. There was no international terrorism, they were just one of a number of similar groups. The group which became the al Nusra Front was more significant. It was precisely that expansion which prompted US (and other) involvement.
IS did not begin to threaten Assad until almost a year later, by which time they were already losing ground in Iraq.
North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 10:27 - Sep 3 by BergholtBru
Guess this kinda sums it up really!!
exactly that was released in 1965 just a few years after the cuban misssile crisis. as now we thought a nuclear war was coming, but like now we only read one side of the story. like another poster said n.k. wont pull the trigger,as that will be the end of them.
forensic experts say footers and spruces fingerprints were not found at the scene after the weekends rows
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North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 13:03 - Sep 4 with 1747 views
North Korea have tested another nuclear bomb on 11:43 - Sep 3 by No9
Good point, we are all now concerned that NK is developing hardware that could cause the end of civilisation even though they may have threatened by several sabre rattling American presidents over the years ?
If we felt we were being threatened would we not go all out to develop weapons to protect ourselves ?
It takes two to tango
Don't you think NK is more at risk of rising sea levels from global warming?! (much of it courtesy of the USA of course!)
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