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[Leafsnail]

I'd like to see the old blackwater head's proposal to do it with a mercenary army, there's not a snowball's chance in hell for it.

Good, that sounds like a ludicrously bad idea.

e: Well I guess from the perspective of someone who wants to make money from endless conflict it's a good idea.

[stockpile]

jordan already did airstrikes on IS

[Vilanat]

Jordan response of executing prisoners as a revenge in the Islamic State is pretty barbaric in itself and doesn't help to inspire hopes for a better Middle East. the difference between the Islamic State and Jordan have further shrank because of Jordan's actions.

Also, there is these rumors that the king is going to fly a plane himself against ISIS:
http://twitchy.com/2015/02/04/hard-core-jordans-king-abdullah-in-combat-gear-and-ready-to-fight-isis-photos/
Its quite pathetic actually.

[Sheb]

Well, killing someone is one thing quickly is one thing, burning him alive is another. It's not like the death penalty is a rare occurrence.

[Dutchling]

Not sure how that is pathetic. The guy has been part of the army for the most of his life, it's not like they're just putting their king in a plane hoping he doesn't get himself killed or something.

Edit: also, at least one of the two has already been sentenced to death prior to this, so it's not like theyre just killing random people who are somehow involved with ISIS.

[Helgoland]

How is the king joining in pathetic? If anything, it shows that he's willing to take personal risks in the fight against daesh and not just sending his subjects into combat while staying at home, safe and comfortable.

[Sheb]

What would be pathetic would be publicity stun where the King act all macho before taking his helicopter for a spin above Amman and not even get over ISIS territory. If the guy is willing to actually go and personally take the fight to ISIS, he has all my respect, especially after what happened to that other Jordanian pilot. That guys seems to have more balls than any head of state but Merkel. _{Yeah, I know she's not a head of state. But my joke doesn't work otherwise. Not that it work that well as is...}

[Helgoland]

Oh Sheb, thinking about the intricacies of German government before making a joke~
It works rather well in German, though: We use 'eggs' instead of 'balls', and it's quite reasonable to assume she has more than two.
Well, unless you start thinking about Merkel no longer getting her period, but I wouldn't go there.

[Sheb]

Well, in my headcannon, Merkel keeps a display in her drawing room where are nailed all the balls of the CDU politicians she sidelined to get to her current position. And probably Hollande's and Sarkozy's too.

[Leafsnail]

I don't think you should be impressed by Putin-style macho showmanship.

[Vilanat]

I don't think you should be impressed by Putin-style macho showmanship.

Exactly. i'll take bicycle riding Obama over combat pilot King Abdullah any day.

Also, from a strategic point, its a complete nonsense to send your king on a dangerous mission. perhaps he doesn't have the actual combat experience other leaders have so he has to make up for it with bravado or perhaps his citizens need him to fly a combat mission to prove himself or inspire them to fight against the Islamic State, but if so then something is seriously fucked with Jordan.

Well, killing someone is one thing quickly is one thing, burning him alive is another. It's not like the death penalty is a rare occurrence.

While i agree there is a difference and jordan is not the Islamic State, executing a prisoner of war just for revenge is not an act of a progressive state. we all know that if any progressive state had done that there would have been an uproar.

[RedKing]

Considered she had been tried and found guilty of involvement in a terrorist bombing I don't think it's fair to call her "a prisoner of war". She was a convicted criminal already sentenced to death.


And I don't see King Abdullah's move as Putinesque in the slightest. All indications are that he's royally pissed (no pun intended). And it may hard for people in non-monarchical countries to realize that he came up in a system where Princes were expected to have military training and military service under their belt before they came to rule. People questioned the wisdom of sending Prince Harry to Afghanistan, but that wasn't done purely as a photo-op. During WWI and WWII there were a number of the British royal family who saw combat time. Now it may be a bit unusual in modern times for a ruling King to enter combat, I'll grant you that.

Jordan has been somewhat divided since the Arab spring. This may be what it takes to galvanize Jordanian public opinion and unite the population behind the monarchy again. If so, then it's a shrewd political move, IMHO.

[smjjames]

I thought Prince Harry chose to go into the military rather than it being an expectation of him?

[Zangi]

How do you go about trying to differentiate a terrorist and a prisoner of war anyways?  At least in this modern era. 
But then, I don't know if a 'rebel' is expected to be treated to the same standards as a prisoner of war either.

Though, I suppose it is much easier to brand them as terrorists...  I've always wondered, cause Guantanamo... among others.

[Dutchling]

Well, I don't know. Fighting for a terrorist organization seems like a clear indication of being a terrorist.