Thank you for posting this, Nando. We are all confused, it seems. What struck me was Avi Lipken's description of the players involved. I seriously question if these people  (the radical terrorists) are for real. Do they live in caves? Have they had zilch education? How have they had their humanity nullified? Being human means we have empathy - sympathy. We can relate to another's pain - physical or emotional. They seem like emotionless robots. Blood and guts is their thing. This is SO not human. I question how much of this is orchestrated and how much is real. It's so gut wrenchingly violent.

https://twelvebooks.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/dec-4-2015-gary-stearman-and-avi-lipkin-explain-isis-syria-russia-turkey-iran-the-kurds-the-usa-and-israel-to-clarify-the-conflict/