This made me CROSS (shouty capitals)

Of course it's not that simple. The wasps nests have been stirred. You can't put the genie back in the bottle now. No apologies for mixed metaphors.

Has anyone actually said that, granjura?

You are one of many who have changed the direction of the thread and seem determined to restate your own opinion until we all agree with you. Yet again.

So ti seems so simple according to this thread- bring back the dictators to put a lid on their people. Brave new and wonderful world -

Yes. I don't see how the USA is going to be able to control or do deals with such a multi-headed organisation.

You can do deals with one person, in the driving seat as it were, of a country,and it's true that diplomacy sometimes means we have to work with some leaders that we abhor, but ISIS would be impossible to deal with, a huge loosely associated group of people, who in any case want the destruction and subjugation of other countries to their twisted deadly will.

Sorry-not crazy -driven by commercial interests and in particular oil.

rosesarered it might not be as impossible as you imagine. Take Saddam Hussein, installed by the USA, supported by the USA because they wanted him to wage war on Iran (who had thrown out the puppet Shah installed by the USA), supplied with chemical weapons and all sorts of armaments to do this. THEN when they decided he was a threat taken out by the USA. Don't think that because you are told ISIS are the biggest threat to western civilisation now, the USA wouldn't be prepared to do deals with them if it suited. Western policy in the Middle East is crazy.

Good post GillT57

This thread is wandering about like a drunken sailor.

That was to Trisher.

Closest ally? you must be joking!

Agree about dictators keeping the lid on things; whether this is a good thing or not. I once read a very good description of dictators such as Ghadaffi and Saddam Hussein and I suppose Assad in Syria; they are like a huge block of ice holding everything in a grip and when they melt ( or are melted in Ghaddafi and Hussein's case) the whole country melts and becomes a disorganised mess. Or to take the comparison further, melts and runs to the sea. Getting back to OP though, I am not a flag waving nationalist, like to think I am very tolerant of other's beliefs and cultures, but I get very angry indeed when people who have been welcomed here, who live here, send their children to school etc., then are very critical when things arent done as they feel they should be done. I feel very sorry for countries like Sweden who are liberal and welcoming, assimilate people from many cultures and now find themselves, generation later with angry young people who hate them and wish them harm.

Oh I see thanks- I thought you meant posters here.

It is normal, I believe, to draw parrarels with other situations, places, times, groups, etc- when discussing important issues- and also to look at the past and learn from it. But you are free to disagree this makes sense.

Line 3 of my OP, Granjura, effectively, what this thread is /was about (although some people seem to have other ideas, White Supremacy/WW II/ migrants etc)

Certainly was the case for so terribly called 'Great War' Loopylou.

I must have missed the UK bashers. Where?

Moving from dictatorship to democracy in a day just cannot work.

Kohlberg's theory of the acquisition of 'morality' shows clearly that several stages have to be gotten though- that can be quite quick in some cases, but you just can't jump from stage 1 to 4 o5 5, without going through 2 and 3. An interesting topic to read about, if you are interested.

Same here jingle, but I do agree with you. Democracy doesn't always work, especially when there are so many warring factions in a country. Frying pans and fires I'm afraid.

It was just, perhaps, horses for courses.

what am I doing defending Saddam Hussein?! I'm not! I hated him.

Hitler and Saddam Hussein/Gadaffi are pretty un-comparable. They didn't actually try to take over the whole world.

Good point granjura, certainly a very difficult predicament and thankfully not one I hope I ever have to make.

I agree merlot, and if people delight in UK bashing perhaps they would prefer to live elsewhere?

jingl- many said that about Hitler and Germany- strengthen our borders and defence, and leave well alone. It may indeed have prevented much suffering and loss of life- and Hitler would have just 'burnt himself out' eventually. Perhaps?

Unfortunately when you remove a cruel and evil dictator, nasty evil factions rear their ugly heads. Whether they're driven by religion or wanting theirs and everyone else's piece of fatherland, there is nothing standing in their way until they clash with other like minded factions.

IS spreads its tentacles far and wide and we are powerless. Trying to stop radicalised people from joining them is pointless. We should put our energy into tightening up our own security, and not beating ourselves up over people who are responsible for their own actions.

Like the OP, UK bashing makes me angry.

I've always said that hindsight is only good for regrets and beating yourself up.
At least the rest of the world basically knew what they were up to much of the time

Those dictators knew their people. They were cruel and evil themselves, but they were perhaps a lesser evil. We should have left well alone. Like I say, hindsight.