Even though many Americans are reluctant to agree, it appears the time is approaching for the United States to once again step in to quell one of the escalating conflicts in the Middle East. I know no one wants to hear about another war in the Middle East and I don’t think anyone should fear a full-scale war with U.S. involvement at this point but the situation is beginning to look grim.
I would argue the Obama administration has waited to long to take action regarding the conflict and war in Syria and Iraq. With so many hot spots raging around the world, from the conflict in Ukraine to the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza to the irrational and wild ambitions of North Korea, it is difficult to single out one to intervene in however whenever a terrorist group begins to acquire fast sums of money and large pieces of territory in a volatile region of the world, action needs to be taken by the United States.
I will preface this by saying I am in no way suggesting large amounts of U.S. troops, also known as ‘boots on the ground’ should be sent to Iraq and Syria yet other military options need to be examined and put into effect immediately by the Obama Administration so the terrorists do not one day take their idiotic extremist ideology over the Atlantic to the shores of this country.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS, is a brutal terrorist organization, unlike any we have seen before, that has gained a foothold within the war torn countries of Syria and Iraq. Unlike groups such as the Taliban who run their terrorist activities within sovereign states, ISIS is unique as they have been able to claim vast areas of territory stretching from the ancient city of Aleppo in Syria to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
For many months ISIS advanced through western Syria, which is in the midst of a seemingly endless civil war, and eventually into Iraq where they encountered Iraqi military and security forces. These are the very same Iraqi forces that were trained and equipped by the United States after a decade long war that cost billons of taxpayer dollars and thousands of America lives. Instead of using the advanced equipment and training the Iraqi soldiers received from our country, they left their weapons and ran like cowards at the first sight of the ISIS advance.
This was a recurring theme as ISIS used violent tactics and the help of tribes, who were displeased with the unfair sectarian like ways of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Shiite lead government, to grab land and begin establishing an Islamic caliphate. This caliphate has now been established and for the first time, we are witnessing a terrorist organization govern a large space of territory in the heart of the Middle East.
According to The Guardian, United Nations investigators are being sent to Iraq in the coming days over the “atrocities” from ISIS. What are U.N. investigators going to do but tell us something we already know? Instead, a cohesive strategy that outlines how the United States will use its forces for good, in conjunction with allies, to crush ISIS and not just contain them like we are doing at the present moment with airstrikes is needed. I am not a war monger, rather someone who believes the United States must use our influence, resources, and sometimes military, in order to bring peace, stability, and democracy to troubled parts of the globe. Obviously, not every conflict can be addressed and those that are addressed cannot be solved with greatest military to ever grace this planet however the situation regarding ISIS in the Middle East is one that must be met with some military force.
The Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq has proven time and time again to be a friend of the United States and their military has consistently shown they are willing and capable to fight ISIS. In fact, they have been fighting ISIS a like minded extermeists for years. Frankly, Kurdistan is one of the only success stories from the Iraq war and in my opinion, should be its own independent state but that’s a debate for another time. The Kurds, and Iraqi forces that can be trusted not to run away, should immediately begin receiving training, intelligence, and most of all, military weapons and equipment from the United States so they can continue to take the fight to ISIS on the ground.
Allies such as Great Britain, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates should all be mobilized and brought into a coalition that seeks to eliminate ISIS. Middle Eastern countries are the key to this coalition because having only Western countries go in to destroy ISIS will only fuel their propaganda machine. Many states, such as Saudi Arabia have looked the other way for a long time, when it comes to ISIS, and it is time for them to step up to solve this problem in their region of the world. Moreover, the United States, along with allies, should subsequently step up the airstrike campaign considerably with around the clock bombing while special forces units should be inserted onto the ground to coordinate airstrikes and assist Kurdish and Iraqi forces.
The threat that ISIS poses to the region and to our country is one we may not realize until another September 11th happens and by then, it will be too late. ISIS seeks to terrorize the western world and strike the United States. They are now gaining the power and resources to give them a capability to do so. It’s a new world we live in and terrorism is a harsh reality within it that cannot be ignored, especially by the mightiest nation on Earth. The Obama administration needs to step-up now and stop wishing this problem away.