Þæt wæs god cyning!
Apparently the King of Jordan has begun bombing ISIS-held strongholds with Napalm, and may be flying one of the bombers personally. Members of Jordan's air force flying against ISIS targets were already volunteers, but their pride and morale must be through the roof if that report is true.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
I believe that ISIS hit a nerve. I do not believe that it was the nerve they were aiming at.
It may have been in their own foot.
Get some, Your Majesty!
Does anyone have any idea when was the last time a reigning monarch led their troops into combat?
Napalm is a nasty way to go. Though then again its not like ISIS people do not deserve it.
I think the famous rumor mill in the ME is at work. The king can lead these attacks by being at the command center and attentive.
Unlike our current President.
Valerie
I wouldn't be surprised if this rumor turned out to be true. He's from a military background, and there is a huge morale advantage for his volunteer pilots to see their king volunteering to lead them from the front. But more to the point, Jordan has several agendas right now that would be advanced by advancing the figure of the king as standing strong against Islamic extremists.
He's one of the figures, with Egypt's al-Sisi, who is trying to put together a conference of Islamic leaders to map out ways to combat these groups. And he's one of those leaders, also like Egypt's, who is trying to navigate a way to live with Israel without being drawn into the Iranian-backed opposition to Israel. In Egypt's case, they see themselves as the proper leader of the "Arab world," and view Iran as interlopers illegitimately trying to use Islam instead of Arabic ethnicity to gain hegemony over the region. Jordan, of course, is even closer to the Iranian-backed efforts against Israel, and needs to stand strong against the extremist propaganda in order to avoid having too many of her people fall under the sway of such groups.
Further complications in Jordan exist. There is a large Palestinian population, and this was a great deal of concern for the King's father. So much so, that the King's father married a Palestinian woman (the current King's mother). The King himself is committed to the path his father took of peace with Israel. And his being half-Palestinian helps take the sting out of that position for his citizens. Overall, he is a pro-Western, pro-peace head of state, and we are wise to treat with him. It is well that he is inclined to treat with us.
It appears that Jordan is denying that he personally led the raid, so Val was right. The rumor was highly plausible, though: maybe he should have!
Post a Comment