JB,

Think.
The suicide bombers don't have to buy their bombs and the ME rebels don't buy their mortars or machine guns.

It's much more of an attraction to have money to take home to pay for food and a swimming pool, new house or new car and stereo etc.

JFAus, it would not matter what amount of riches they had they would
still fight over whatever was there.
Look at Iraq for example, 3rd largest oil producer but have been at
each others throats forever.
Those ME countries that have oil production keep the peasants in line
by means of food and fuel subsidies. As production and/or price falls
they blame the government, the US or Rome and overthrow their governments.
That is what happened to Mubarik and eventually Sisi will be overthrown.
Note how they are now blaming the Copts for their problems.
It is always someone else’s fault.
Typical behaviour of someone with mental problems.

Bazz,

The hardship and unrest I am referring to is occurring at the bottom of the economy, oil revenue is at the top.
There is virtually no firewood remaining in the ME. Buying gas or electricity for warmth and cooking uses up vital cash.
It's thousands of years of consumption of natural food and essentials that have occurred in the ME and not here in Australia, that makes the difference.
Chronic hardship, long term hardship, and hunger changes mental attitude, leading to desperation including suicide.

Likely the Copts are being targeted because they are linked to Russia that is standing up for Assad (who in absence of evidence has not been convicted).

This is about land and food shortages, and greed.

If you are predisposed to see Trump as an incompetent fool then its pretty easy to see everything he does as foolish. Of coarse that paradigm leaves such people scratching their collective heads and/or nether regions trying to square it with the fact that he defeated, in turn, the Bushes, the GOP, the MSM, the Democrats and the Clintons.

So Trump the fool, foolishly lobbed a few bombs into an essentially vacant airfield and, apparently, took a giant step toward WW3. Wow!

If however you think that Trump, and his team, have a very good grasp of whats-what, the bombing is clearly a masterstroke. At little cost to the US, the world has suddenly changed very much to their advantage. All of the US' enemies are on the back foot and will remain so, so long as Trump is disposed to keep them there. In a stroke, the future of Assad is back on the table. Suddenly the Chinese are talking trade concessions and (despite Loudmouth hilariously falling for the 150000 soldiers story) are lifting not a finger to help out Kim. And now Putin, who played the Obamessiah for a fool, finds himself in a bind and having to choose between mutually unpalatable options.

I'm old enough to remember when Reagan lobbed a few bombs into Libya in the mid 80's. Then as now, those who fancied themselves sophisticated analysers of international affairs, declared him reckless and fretted about WW3. Then as now they revealed how little they understand. Afterward, Libya went from being the main supporter of international terrorism and an enemy of the west to being a docile pussy-cat and, if not exactly respectable, then at least a useful member of the global community....until that is those unutterable fools in the previous administration decided it'd be fun (and profitable??) to overthrow his government.

So, Loudmouth, Armchair et al, continue to work on your unsupportable assumption that Trump is an incompetent fool, as your like in the 80's thought of Reagan. But be prepared to constantly sit in wonder as to how that paradigm never seemsto work out.

Hi MHaze,

What never ? Well, hardly ever. Take the batteries out of your clock and it will still be right twice a day.

Yes, sorry about that gaffe: as the Sun reports, it isn't 150,000 Chinese troops (and medical and food supplies) moving towards the North Korean border, as both News Limited and Fairfax press report, but 140,000. Or maybe, as that authoritative journal Pravda reports, there are no troop movements at all:

http://www.pravdareport.com/news/world/asia/11-04-2017/137452-karmanov-0/

Wait and see :)

So Trump had a Plan A on Syria: can he use it again ? And again ? Or will he have to develop a Plan B, something a bit more sophisticated. Russians, after all, play chess, not so much golf. I'm not complaining, I support his response to Assad's chemical attacks (and yes, I do believe that), but did he think, being 'an incompetent fool': "Duh ! now what ?"

Perhaps you're right about Reagan, perhaps his Iran-Contra deal was devilishly cunning and perhaps the Soviet Union would still exist if it weren't for his genius. Apart from those master-strokes, I don't recall Reagan being anything but a duller forerunner of your idol.

Wait and see :)

Joe

MHaze,n fromo
Today's Sydney Morning Herald reports 150,000.
Where are you getting wrong information from?