Just switched on the tv and barack Obama is trekking in Alaska with bear grylls. It's so crazy to see a president doing that and how humble he is. I just can't imagine a British prime minister (any prime minister) in the Brecon Beacons with grylls!
Depends. If PSOE and PODEMOS (a left wing party) do a deal they will be close to a majority. It is very tight. It does seem likely the Catalan Nationalist (a left of centre party) could well be asked to support a new Government in order to get a better deal for Catalunya.
There's no long-term plan for any of the countries in turmoil in the region. Various powerful coalitions are ****ing about with the area for their own aims, pumping money and weapons in and ignoring the carnage that follows. It's been that way for decades now, though. Possibly longer, actually.
Good to see that Corbyn will be having an ethical and sustainable Christmas this year... http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/polit...l-thin-soup-plus-half-a-potato-20151221104916
It's scary how little thought or care is shown by the Western powers or MSM for the poor civilians living in these countries...
Sometimes i wonder at the arrogance of these people who think that their plans of mischievous won't end up on their doorstep? And no I don't mean the odd terrorist attack, I mean total world destabilisation. But then again, maybe it's their aim to create such a world. The mess they have created in Middle East is just the tip of the iceberg and people are too caught up with celebrities and selfies to notice their own self destruction. But eh, at least we have a new Star Wars trilogy
Who are "these people"? surely most players in the Middle East can have blame layed at there feet? On the one hand you have the west and Russia who have repeatedly got involved in various conflicts within the region and clearly at times made mistakes as to how they conduct said military operations. Then you've got nations like Saudi Arabia who fund certain terrorists in attempts to influence religious direction in others countries. You've got the Israel/Palestine situation with all sorts of players and blame to be apportioned throughout thousands of years of history and multiple empires and crusades. You've got warring factions, tribes and religious groups, civil wars etc within many middle eastern countries, look at Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Lybia, Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon as a handful of examples. Plenty of these countries are at war and in turmoil all by themselves without any external international intervention having been the main cause. There are so many different groups, countries and individuals who have caused the situation in the Middle East. Went off on a bit of a wall of text there lol, it's just this current trend for blaming the west for everything is so simplistic and does my head in. You may well not have actually meant that with your post though, which I appreciate at the time of writing this. Edt: oh, by the way, forgot to say I'm looking forward to the new Star Wars film
I think it's a terrible shame that stability at least in terms of government and military control over Afghanistan still isn't a reality. Given the British lives that were lost to secure the territory and remove the Taliban I think it would be really sad if the Taliban manage to re-seize control of the country. I'm pleased we have sent out military personal to provide advice and strategic assistance to the Afghan government and hopefully they are able to regain the lost ground quickly and efficiently without allowing the Taliban to properly uprise.
Yeah there are so many different factions with different outcomes in mind and it's the normal people who ultimately suffer. There are so many different issues to deal with in the region.
It's not just the west pumping in money or weapons to the Middle East and not caring about the poor civilians, there are dictator lead governments, terrorist organisations, rival religious groups etc all based in the Middle East contributing to the problems, allowing the transfer of funds, providing the weapons and routes across borders etc...
Don't get me wrong, i'm not solely blaming the West as I believe everyone in that region is complicit. The whole region is a mess, but a mess doesn't just occur out of coincidence without external help. The main players of this conflict are the US, Saudi Arabia, UK, Israel, France, Turkey, Russia, Iran and the Gulf States. They all have a hand at what is happening and they all have their own motives and interests. I won't go into specifics on what and how they are involved, as there is plenty of information available outside the mainstream propagandist press. It's a tragedy that the world is still full of oppression and those who suffer are the people who live in their country, like you and me. But what do we expect to happen in this world, where we have the duplicitous, cheats, oppressors and unjust rulers leading the majority of our powerful nations on Earth.
Most players in the Middle East are and have been funded by the likes of the USA, UK, France and many more. It's funny that we here in the UK and other western countries are quick to condemn despotic regimes and the so-called Wahhabism (a term which I detest) that we all despise, yet aren't willing to put the blame at the government's feet for trading with these countries that we hate so much. Most of the other countries you've cited as examples where there are problems are more relevant to geopolitical factors ahead of religious ones . You're right that there are a whole host of reasons for the situation in the Middle East. But we can't be blind to what our own government and country(ies) have done there as well. Lets not get started on colonisation...
Although it is proven that the Western nations have been supporting terrorist groups in Iraq, Libya and Syria with money, armaments and intel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the gulf states have been heavily supporting these groups too (also as proxies for the Western Nations). It is a complex situation here which all really began from the break up of the Ottoman Empire, and has continued to be a problem since. Without true unity and justice in these nations, they will continue to suffer injustice and humiliations. Unfortunately historically religion has been used by nefarious people as a tool to subjugate and rule over people tyrannically, the family of Saud is but another example of this, using Islam to justify their putrid existence. They've exported their ultra conservative brand of Sunni Islam to neighbouring states and dictate to Muslims on how they should behave, while behaving anything but Islamic. Compare the Muslim leaders of today to for example, the second Caliph Umar. He led with justice and honour and was widely respected by non-Muslims alike. His original agreement that he made with the Christian and Jews over Jerusalem, still exists. All religious places of worship and worshippers are to be protected and respected. This is quite a big difference from what the so called "ISIS, ISIL etc" are doing right now.
@lazarus20000 - I agree with all of that except for what you say about people using a conservative brand of Sunni Islam to dictate to Muslims on how they should behave. Saudi aren't officially an Islamic state, they're an absolute monarchy. As a Sunni Muslim myself, I don't believe a lot of the laws and traditions that are in Saudi are traditionally Islamic, let alone going into religious conservatism. And even Muslims over here reject Saudi Arabia's oppressive laws. The fact that women are not allowed to drive or that it is compulsory for them to wear an abaya is not enshrined anywhere within Islamic law. They're imposing an authoritarian, tyrannical rule for control and power rather than using their positions to implement justice and fairness. But they'll pick and choose it when it suits them, as there have been a number of reports of the Saudi Princes sexually assaulting female tourists, snorting cocaine and being involved in multiple sex acts at parties. So I don't think that Saudi Arabia are a valid example to use in any case.
