by Ronald T. Fox
In my previous post on Islamophobia Plays Into the Hands of Islamist, I criticized our "scorched-earth" strategy, which embraces the idea that liberating towns from ISIS control requires their near total destruction. Below are four images that illustrate my point. To be sure, the vast destruction of Kobani shown below was not solely a product of allied bombing, but it is reportedly the major factor. Many are complicit in scorching Syria's earth; this is the saddest part of the unfolding human tragedy..
In my previous post on Islamophobia Plays Into the Hands of Islamist, I criticized our "scorched-earth" strategy, which embraces the idea that liberating towns from ISIS control requires their near total destruction. Below are four images that illustrate my point. To be sure, the vast destruction of Kobani shown below was not solely a product of allied bombing, but it is reportedly the major factor. Many are complicit in scorching Syria's earth; this is the saddest part of the unfolding human tragedy..
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| Bombing Kobani |
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| Bombs Exploding |
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| The Aftermath |
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| What Comes Next? |
Ron,
ReplyDeleteI don't at all disagree with your comments on our scorched earth policy -- they are particularly appropriate now while some Republican presidential candidates are advocating bombing the terrorist-controlled areas back into the stone age ("bombing the shit out of them" in Trumpese)-- but the next to last picture above is a bit too much, don't you think? Reminds me of the famous Johnson commercial in his campaign against Goldwater: as I recall, it started out with a scene of a little girl in a field of flowers with an ominous voice-over about Barry Goldwater's extremist policies followed by a nuclear explosion, mushroom cloud and all. I realize it was effective, but the reason I bring it up is that it's the type of appeal to the emotions, rather than to reason or common sense, that, in the hands of demagogues like Trump, et. al., has produced the disgusting policy "discussions" we are seeing in the presidential campaigns and on the airwaves. Leave the propaganda to the propagandists. Phronesis is touted as a thought- not emotion-provoking blog; it doesn't need to be more dramatic than what you have regularly produced through the force of your and Dr. Snow's compelling arguments, logic, and commitment to presenting the facts and expressing opinions based on them. The opportunity to read reasoned presentations of ideas and opinions is what makes your blog so refreshing and needed. Hopefully, in time, it will stimulate more and more of the thoughtful exchanges between you and your readers that you are seeking.