That is the burning question being asked all over the world tonight as our President, supposedly the leader of the free world, dithers and pulls out half measures designed to placate all sides. It is good that he has ordered air strikes against ISIS in Iraq albeit at certain strategic places, like the Mosul Dam or the foot of Mt. Sinjar, or close to the Kurdistan capital of Irbil. Unfortunately, it isn't enough.
Very few Americans, including myself, want to see American ground troops trying to recapture places like Fallujah and re-secure Iraq, something that was done under the Surge by President George W Bush and squandered by Obama when he withdrew all US forces from the country.
But that was then and this is now. ISIS, whether anyone cares to admit it or not, does pose an immediate threat to the US and all the other Western countries who have people carrying their passports going to join with this evil organization/army. In addition, ISIS has clearly stated that it will hit the US and raise their black flag over the White House. While the latter threat is overblown, the former is not. We pooh-poohed Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda until 9-11. Then we had to act by going into Afghanistan.
Here is the plain simple fact: ISIS must be destroyed- killed, in other words. That means not only in Iraq, but Syria as well. Forget about borders. Iraq and Syria no longer have a border.
The atrocities being carried out by this insane group of fighters must be stopped by the international community. In a perfect world, the UN and NATO would have settled on a plan of attack weeks ago and put it in action. Now thousands are dying a gruesome death, and Christians are being threatened with genocide. Have we forgotten World War II? Have we forgotten Rwanda?
Two steps in my view are immediate and imperative: First, we must increase the air attacks against ISIS to wherever we can find them.
Second, we can supply the Kurdish Peshmerga army with what it needs to fight ISIS. They are not like the Iraqi army. They are willing and ready to fight to protect their little homeland. They are our allies. However, if the above two measures don't work, then not just the US, but NATO as well must consider ground troops. ISIS must not be allowed to conquer Iraq-or Syria for that matter.
Thirdly, we must act to prevent these fighters with Western passports from returning to our countries unless it is to a waiting arrest warrant and agents waiting at the airport gate. There must be stiff prosecution of anyone in the West who joins this evil army. That should include revocation of visas or naturalized citizenship. ISIS is a terrorist organization and should be legally declared so with appropriate penalties for anyone who joins, aids, or abets them.
There are no good choices here. Sooner or later, we are going to have to fight this bunch of crazed maniacs. They are not the "junior varsity", as Obama characterized them some time ago. They have chased the Iraqi army out of a good part of Iraq and have taken over a good chunk of Syria as well. They cannot be allowed to grow.
They must be killed.
Do not expect the Organizer and Chief to do anything that will make a real difference with ISIS. He has either fired or forced the great Generals and high ranking armed forces officers out. The Armed Forces has been reduced to numbers prior to World War 1. He has a sergeant leading the Department of Defense, and liars for National security advisors. He only reads the daily briefs and does not get face to face information about national security. He depends upon his far left, anti-war base to advise him. Second, he would had to give up his unearned Noble Peace Prize if he goes into Iraq/Syria.
ReplyDeleteLast, He would have to take his attention off of creating a crisis in Missouri, by stirring up racial tensions in the Nation.
Squid
Points one through three are good policy, despite the hyperbole of the introduction.
ReplyDeleteBoots on the ground are an important consideration. SOMEONE's boots have to be on the ground.
In Afghanistan, the first six months went well because we hardly needed to put any boots on the ground. There was, on the northern border, an army of battle hardened soldiers with 30 years fighting experience, native to the country, knowing the terrain and the political networks, just waiting for a nice superpower to find the motivation to provide them with ammo and tactical air support. With some help from special ops, they did the rest. Our mistake was trying to reconstruct the country along the liberal lines so beloved of George W. Bush. We should have let our gallant allies do the work of sorting it all out. It would have been bloody at times, but swift. The result wouldn't have been democracy, but it wouldn't have been our problem, nor a threat to us.
We need someone with boots on the ground who will go in and kill ISIS. The Pesh Mergha are probably the best candidate available.