I want to know why no one has applauded the end of ISIS or Daesh, they have just gone out with a whimper in Iraq, in Syria and in the Philippines and not one of the powers involved in the fight has declared a resounding victory. Is al Baghdadi dead or not? Reports of his death come and go, like OBL his body is not to be found. In fact, is there still a war in Syria? Hello, is anyone out there? Or do the sayings and doings of Dump absorb everything like some great vacuum

The Dufus is a big show here still, and will remain so, but ISIS in the middle east has changed to terrorists in Africa for the moment. The roaches have just run to a new house, so excuse us for not celebrating, since the "mission" is far from over. In addition there is still Yemen and Afghanistan, and a few others, and to be clear Syria and northern Iraq are still very hot spots that continue to smolder.

It's way too early to celebrate.

Clete ,you really know why . Well maybe not . ISIS was defeated by IRGC led ground troops supported by US Air power .In some places the ground troops were the Kurds .But when the Iranian backed forces turned on the Kurds ,we did nothing to stop them. What is happening in Syria and Iraq is that a Sunni wannabee caliphate was defeated by an emerging Shia hegemon. So yeah ;3 cheers for scattering the Sunni jihadists ;but the work is not done there . Oh yeah ;the world will never cheer an accomplishment that Trump was involved in. Like it or not ,it was his changing of the attitude about the inevitability and acceptance of jihadistan into taking concrete actions to defeat them. Amazing how easy it was when you have the will.

What I'm saying Tom is, if the US, or any other major nation, had the lead in this, the media would be all over it, but it is almost as though there is a media black out since Russia has become involved and victory over ISIS and various rebel groups is apparent. The Kurds have backed off on independence, I expect the US has told them it will not back a confrontation. I don't see Trump as taking actions to defeat jihadistan, he is in league with the Saudi who backed ISIS. He may help to chase islamist groups around Africa and maybe even Yemen, but you won't see him chasing any saudi allies. As far as concrete action is concerned I think Trump has concrete boots. His action in Syria, carpet bombing a Syria airfield with cruise missiles wasn't appreciated and if he can't have the applause, his heart won't be in it.

Honestly, the man has no idea, if it isn't about him, he is not interested. I don't think he understands the concept of political capital

It's like the economy, Trump inherited an already good strategy that was in working order.

keep telling yourself that

Yes a great strategy, zero interest rates, war all over, what is the aim of this strategy ~ make america great again ~ only in your dreams ~ paradise lost

That's what the FACTS say, not me. Stop listening to the guy who takes credit for EVERYTHING, and responsibility for NOTHING. While you pat Dufus on the back for getting rid of ISIS in the middle east, the truth is they are still everywhere. We will see what he does going forward with this changing battlefield. He may not always have the luxury of relying just on his generals.

This is the guy who does nothing about the white guy sniping 600 people, but can't shut up abut the about what should be done about the terrorist who struck New York the other day. He blamed everybody for San Bernardino and Orlando, but crickets for Dillon Roof. Now he wants MO"MONEY for himself, while the people around him face JAIL. He attacks his own all the time, yet Putin is still his boyfriend.

It's not what I tell myself Tom, just commenting on the FACTS and the long emerged pattern of the moron DUFUS in chief.

your guy said he wanted to eventually degrade them . In less than a year Trump's strategic change has denied ISIS the territory they claimed as a caliphate . We will always be playing wack a mole with them as long as the jihadistan ideology lives . As I mentioned in the Civil War posting ;killing an idea is much harder .

The real credit lies with the alliance forces that did the grunt work, not with the loudmouth claiming all the credit. ISIS is running but the bigger problems will emerge as to who controls what, and who takes responsibility for rebuilding. Now what for Syria without ISIS? How about the Turks and Kurds? All the stuff that ISIS distracted us from is still there.

He still has Afghanistan on his plate, and you may as well mail him a map of Africa, as well and a dictionary, so he can pronounce "diversary". ISIS ain't a state in some foreign land, it's a state of mind, as you elude to, so it knows no boundaries. They loonies thugs are everywhere.

Yes Tal, indeed, it is called Islam, or that particular version of it broadcast abroad by Saudi Arabia

There are more loony thugs running around than just those who are a perversion of Islam Clete, as Christianity has their own nutcases perverting it, who are even more active and more numerous in the US of A than Islam is by far. I would imagine it's the same in your country as well.

Fortunately, the Bible-perverting, loony "Christian" thugs aren't shooting or bombing us -- YET.

I don't know where you would get that idea. This place isn't particularly known for perversions of Christianity, unless you are referring to child sexual abuse, but it certainly has had more than its share of islamic nut jobs.

There are literalist and conservative and middle-of-the-road and liberal and progressive Christians.

What do you call a person that ignores their own stink while pointing out the stink of others?

I don't know to what you refer, there are no more perversions of Christianity here than there are in your sweet land, even though a small number have adopted some of yours. Let me say right now. I consider Islam a perversion of the word of God. 1,000 years ago Christians crusaded for profit and salvation, totally misled into thinking that is the way God does business, I can think of other instances but we won't go there. There are foolish people in every age

Islam has no more perversions than Christianity, they are just BIGGER. They are also different branches of the SAME tree.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups

I still don't get it Tal, in Christianity there are many branches of the same tree, and a few suckers have also emerged. Islam appears to have emerged as both a backlash to corrupted teachings and to paganism, but it is the antithesis to christianity

Just as Islam is broken into branches, so has Christianity, Its like separate religions in practice but step back to see the tree and not just it's branches and the roots are the same. What you think that they share the same old testament is a fluke? A careful study of history reveals such commonality but I suppose basic human nature can only see the differences. The "potato vs patato" would be hilarious if not for the willingness to kill each other over it.

If all the branches of Islam, and all the branches of Christianity, all say there is but one God, how can human faith conflict?

Largest Religions in The World 2017, Top 10 List

And

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions

I wonder what was going on every 600 years or so?

The bottom line is we as humans are more connected and dependent on each other than we really care to let on Clete, and the history of man through war, peace, migration, immigration, segregation and integration is a fascinating thing. It is such a primitive trait to separate us into whose better, and who ain't. When truth is we are the SAME. Are brown eyes better than blue?

Make a bit more sense?