100+ people killed in French terror attacks.

[Spider]

Can't tell if serious.

[Dylan]

Eh, I actually agree with that. I kinda just want to forcibly take over every Arab nation and install a western despot who will rule with absolute force and brutality and viciously repress even the slightest sign of dissent and raze whole neighborhoods from which any potential source of rebellion hails. I'm talking the kind of dude that makes Caligula look like Gandhi. Just....vicious.

I think it would be really good for the ME actually. Probably see the most economic development in the region we've seen in ages.

[Indy]

[Medius]

[Indy]

Also tricky because tyranny breeds extremism when it's presented as a liberating ideology (see: Iran, Egypt).

So it's almost damned if you do, damned if you don't. I guess you could support benevolent dictators. But that's often not even an option.

[John Galt]

[Indy]

You know what the worst part is? Back during the Clinton years a CIA operative in the region was approached by a rep for some Iraqi generals that were offering to overthrow Saddam Hussein and put in place a U.S.-friendly regime--IF the U.S. supported and recognized the new regime.

And do you know what sank it all? The threat of people in the CIA being prosecuted for violating the no-assassination laws we had in the U.S. It was briefly touched on in the movie Syriana. Well, that was one of the reasons at least.

Imagine what the region would look like today had that gone through.

Another story that made it around--albeit with far less confirmation--was that after 9/11 Iran, fearing a massive military response from the U.S. for whatever reason--essentially put everything on the table through a Swiss intermediary: terrorism, its nuclear program, Israel--all of it. As the story goes, those advances were rebuffed by none other than--you guessed it--Dick Cheney, who would declare "We don't negotiate with evil."

Of course, Cheney would relentlessly push bombing Iran and STILL does.

Can we just admit: we're horrible at foreign policy?

[Saz]

Look at the bright side guys: theres only 800,000 other Syrian "refugees" roaming around Europe, unscreened and unaccounted for. Surely this sort of islamist inspired violence is behind us.

[ceynon21]

What's funny is that Obama wants to let Syrian refugees in. Sounds like a good idea until ISIS members play their role as a Syrian refugee to get into the U.S. and bomb us next. Thanks Obama.

[Dylan]