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August 13, 2014

Caliphate puts men to the meat-grinder

This new Thirty Years War has its origins in a demographic peak and an economic trough.
There are nearly 30 million young men aged 15 to 24 in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran, a bulge generation produced by pre-modern fertility rates that prevailed a generation ago. But the region’s economies cannot support them. Syria does not have enough water to support an agricultural population, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of farmers into tent cities preceded its civil war. The West mistook the death spasms of a civilization for an “Arab Spring,” and its blunders channeled the youth bulge into a regional war. The way to win such a war is by attrition, that is, by feeding into the meat-grinder a quarter to a third of the enemy’s available manpower. Once a sufficient number of who wish to fight to the death have had the opportunity to do so, the war stops because there are insufficient recruits to fill the ranks. That is how Generals Grant and Sherman fought the American Civil War, and that is the indicated strategy in the Middle East today.
- - Spengler

Posted by gerardvanderleun at August 13, 2014 10:37 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

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In other, unrelated news, China has nearly two billion people living in it, the majority of which are men. Their economy is propped up on corruption and lies, their countryside being polluted almost to the point of being unrecoverable, and their nation unable to sustain its population.

Posted by: Christopher Taylor [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 13, 2014 10:44 AM

Structural Instability.
That which cannot support itself will fail.
It's an axiom.

10 years ago today, at this very moment, 2:14pm EST, hurricane Charlie came to the neighborhood we lived in. Structural failure was abundant. Our brand new home, designed by me, built by me, did not fail.

http://www.news-press.com/longform/news/local/2014/08/10/hurricane-charley-10-years-later-anniversary-changes-punta-gorda-fort-myers-improvements/13827019/#farrell

Posted by: ghostsniper [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 13, 2014 11:13 AM

China and the Muslim lands also have the same problem. Young men without much hope or women.

Ten years ago this month my house burned to the ground, small porch fire (just to big to be put out by the kitchen extinguisher) of unknown causation. A town fire truck that had been to three grass fires in a row and only had ten seconds of water left, and a town fire hydrant that proved to have no pressure.

Life sucks, have insurance.

Posted by: Onthenorthriver [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 13, 2014 4:47 PM

"China and the Muslim lands also have the same problem. Young men without much hope or women."

God made goats for a reason.

Posted by: Vermont Woodchuck [TypeKey Profile Page] at August 14, 2014 1:24 PM

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