sayeed,
all they need to do is to realise that religion is merely a control mechanism exploiting superstition & all will get better in literally minutes.
Same gous for all religions.

Julie Bishop has solved part of the problem, potential jihadists from Australia are having their passports cancelled thus keeping them in Australia where they can't do any harm because John Howard's gun laws will stop them from getting arms and O'Farrell's Ammunition Bill will stop them getting ammunition, at least in NSW.

Bishop had no answer as to how one of those now overseas and fighting for The Cause got out of the country on his brother's passport.

got out of the country on his brother's passport.
is Mise,
If this government puts the same size cojones on display with this situation as it has with the boats then this brother won't be coming back to Australia at all with or witout his sibling's passport.
Anyone with an Australian passport going to these places to fight should be denied returning here. If they really want to help their people then they should say so as they prepare to leave & they should give up their australian citizenship. I certainly have no wish to be dragged into some idiotic conflict just because we let them have dual citizenship. Australian Citizen-NO DUAL Citizenship !

Sometimes situations don't develop the way we might expect. We might assume that

if a, then b [and only b]

but often

if a, then c, d and/or e

or

if not a, then b

or even

if not a, then b, c, d, and/or e.

'We', the Yanks, perhaps even God herself, can't necessarily dictate how events will pan out. In the Middle East, there are, and always have been, so many independent players, and players with many options, that nobody there is anybody's puppet. Nor, it seems, is anybody strong enough to prevail over other players, except for a short time.

So the struggles see-saw between nationalism and religious fervour, between one major sect versus another (or others), between rural tribe and urban cosmopoles, and between ethnic groups around the edges of the Arab world. A bit like crabs in a bucket.

Surely one thing we have learnt over the past fifty or so years is that nobody can predict how anything will eventuate. The one certainty however seems to be that whatever party/group/faction gains temporary dominance is very unlikely to be any improvement on their [literal] predecessor, but very likely to stir up unexpected and bitter opposition from yet another quarter.

Are there political or military solutions to the current situation in Iraq ? Perhaps temporarily, but in the much longer term, an enormous amount of ideological dispute and argument and soul-searching might be essential for stability and progress, ultimately a debate between traditional conservativism, including religion, and secular, 'modern' values. If that is unlikely to happen soon, then don't expect stability soon.

Joe

Loudmouth,
You're right about your assessment of the situation there but, as the evidence clearly shows they can't be helped because they don't want help. They thrive on mayhem & misery & all we can do is to keep them as far away from Australia as possible because their one & only goal is to cause the same idiotic mayhem wherever they go. They can't help themselves, they simply can't handle peace. It's like asking a venomous snake to just give you a loving nibble.

Hi Joe

On "political or military solutions to the current situation" the The Age has published an article presenting eight military options Obama might be, is, considering or already doing http://www.theage.com.au/world/iraq-crisis-8-things-obama-can-do-20140618-zsczq.html . These options generally aren't mutually exclusive and include:

1. Protecting American [and other Western] personnel - already doing.

2. Full military intervention - Obama is not the type who would do that.

3. Strikes by US navy aircraft and cruise missiles - quite possible if ISIS is actually moving into Baghdad and ISIS presents a hittable target - especially conveys on the highways converging on Baghdad

4. Drone strikes - even more likely than 3.

5. Intelligence and logistical support of Iraq - US already doing this

6. Increased co-operation with Iran - US already doing this. A partial Iranian invasion possible with US forward controllers calling in airstrikes (points 3 and 4) in support of the Iranians.

7. Allow for the splintering of Iraq - less likely because this would make it more difficult for the West to control Iraq's oil and the "splinters" (including ISIS' Sunni region) would keep on fighting.

8. Do Nothing - no, the West, Iran, Syria and Saudi's are already projecting power, weapons, money into Iraq to influence the ISIS threat.

Is that the picture you have?

Regards

Pete