Syria Bombings Poll

[Jacqui Harvey]

I don't know how we will stop the Saudi's from financing ISIS ??   The European Goverments all suck up to them.
Also, they did a good job of targeting Jihadi John... pinpoint. 

[Highlander]

Nichola - I agree the UN should be involved otherwise what are they there for. That having been said I have just been reading a piece on Article V has isn't encouraging.

It seems to me that you cannot have a negotiated peace settlement without involving all parties and giving concessions. If that is true what concessions will we give ISIS.

[kevin3]

If objecting to one million/two million plus refugees being imposed on EU countries against their  will by a lady in

Germany then count me in with the whingers.Syrian refugees should be kept safe around the borders of Syria

and be funded by the International community until it's safe to return. ISIL are spreading their tentacles by the

day. How do you suggest we stop the money, guns and other arms TODAY  Nichola.? Some of the Paris terrorists

were dual national and some have not yet been identified. The UN are not noted for speedy decisions but ISIL are.

And i've read reports that ISIL are receiving £1m a day for oil from a country close to our hearts.!!

The World tried to appease Hitler, it didn't work. Sadly the bombs did. 

[nichola]

Well look what just popped up in my newsfeed...

Arms deals with Saudi known to be arming Daesh (I believe they don't like that name) to continue, thanks very much America and France. Not forgetting the UK also has a healthy arms trade with Saudi too!

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/francois-hollandes-war-with-isis-wont-stand-in-the-way-of-frances-arms-deals-with-saudi-arabia-a6738546.html

[kevin3]

  Hence my earlier post about laying the blame for where we are now on several doorsteps.

  ISIL are growing by the day.!!  Tell me how to stop them NOW.

[nichola]

John, I think I'm right in saying that Daesh don't get a say, they aren't part of the UN and they aren't a legitimate State. What is important is that the countries in the region get their act together and as part of the UN play their part in securing a peaceful solution. The reason I believe the UN hasn't acted is because their are too many vested interests in the arms trade and I've posted before a table showing just how profitable the war in Syria has been to countries likes the US, Europe including the UK and Saudi.

Some people believe that the borders in the region may not remain as we know them now. That may be the sort of concession that might come from a negotiated settlement.

Kevin, just how did we get into a situation where there is mass migration into Europe from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lybia (that used to be the end point for most African refugees) in the first place? As someone else said recently we reap what we sow!

And by the way, that country so dear to many of our hearts has a lot to answer for but the promised international aid to keep refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey was not forthcoming and is another one of the reasons why the numbers of refugees coming into Europe has recently spiked. And it's going to get much worse the way things are going.

[Highlander]

Surely in there lies the problem.

Assuming the "players" reach a peaceful negotiated settlement without IS, which in my opinion is hugely unlikely, Daesh will not give a good going &*%% and carry on murdering innocent people.
   

[kevin3]

 The current mass influx, which is growing and will be almost impossible to halt, was caused by Merkel

 inviting 850,000 into Germany, and telling other EU countries they had to do something similar.

 I read of one village, 60 Km from Berlin, with a population of 1,850 that has had something like 8,000

 " refugees " imposed on them, overnight they have become a minority, surrounded by people speaking

 several languages they don't understand. Do you think those villagers will vote for Merkel next time round.?

 I agree with your last paragraph Nichola.         

[nichola]

Sorry, but refugees were arriving in Europe en masse before Merkel invited what I believe was 80 000 initially to Gremany. Of course there are too many people fleeing the war zone but where are they to go? They can't stay in Syria, the camps are full to bursting, the conditions are appalling, the international monetary aid had dried up leaving families in the camps to survive on vouchers worth about a $1 day down from about $15. Parents seeing their children go without education and many at a very young age working - 700,000 children we are talking about going without education n Turkey and Jordan/Lebanon I can't remember which. And of the approximately 4 million refugees in camps about half are children.

This list of the attackers and their nationality was current as of two days ago

ABDELHAMID ABAAOUD – Belgium
SALAH ABDESLAM – Belgium
IBRAHIM ABDESLAM – Belgium
ISMAEL MOSTEFAI – France
SAMY AMIMOUR – France
BILAL HADFI – France

http://www.thecanary.co/2015/11/18/identity-paris-attackers-confirmed-heres-many-refugees/

[Colwyn]

Yes, and no.

JF

I agree with that. I doubt that merely bombing supposed Daesh positions will achieve very much. The US have been carrying out airstikes on Syria for over a year, and also on Iraq along with us and other nations, and I cannot see what it has really accomplished. Various military types appear on discussion programmes seem to agree that what is required is close air support directed by ground forces. This would mean using the US being willing to be an airforce for Free Syrian Army and Kurdish troops. Unfortunately, of our potential allies, Russia is bombing the FSA and Turkey bombing the Kurds. In addition we surely have had too much experience in the last decade and a half of US-led action that has no clear strategy, no defined objectives and no vision of what the post-conflict result might be and how to construct it. Without this clear military and political planning all bombing is likely to do is feed a sentiment that "We must do something" on the grounds that doing something is better than doing nothing.

So, whilst I wouldn't rule out bombing Daesh in any circumstances, I couldn't vote "Yes"* until I thought robust military and political strategies had been agreed between the participating nations. {* - not that anyone other than Scunner is likely to ask me!}.