Facing The ISIS Threat Once And For All

            President Obama is scheduled to speak to the American people on Wednesday, September 10^th about expanding US involvement in defeating the Islamic State. An article by Julie Hirschfeld Davis published in the New York times on September 7^th stated that while the president is likely going to expand the United States bombing campaign, he will not permit US troops on the ground. This administration has been very clear about not entering what they believe could turn into another Iraq War. They hold the firm belief that the nation is still war weary and has no interest in engaging in another foreign conflict while the country is plagued by enough problems on the domestic front. This President has long tried to remain committed to his campaign promises of getting United States forces out of the Middle East and ending the prolonged conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unfortunately the nation has watched as more and more conflicts systematically erupt overseas. It is time for this administration to recognize the current state of global affairs and step up to the plate. As the most powerful nation in the free world it is our moral obligation as well as in our own national interest to take more action against the Islamist State before they become so powerful that putting boots on the ground becomes our only option.

            President Obama has found himself in a very tough position where his reputation as President is on the line. He has tried exceedingly hard to stay true to the vows he made during both of his campaigns but the world has had other plans for him. His international strategy of leading from behind has slowly allowed deadly forces to gain power while we have sat back and watched. The Islamic State is currently the biggest foreign threat to the national security of the United States and this administration needs to realize that. Initially, before IS began taking large amounts of territory from the countries of Iraq and Syria, the President dubbed them not a threat and went as far as to call them amateurs. In recent weeks with the terrorist state making serious advancements and beheading American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, it appears that the President may have miscalculated. The Islamic State is a real threat to the United States and a few targeted airstrikes have not done enough to seriously cripple their ability to make war. The President is correct in his steadfast belief that troops on the ground is not a good idea at this point in time, however, the country needs to do more.

            If the United States is truly committed to keeping our soldiers out of the Middle East then we must step up our game. This administration needs to more effectively plan airstrikes that will target weapons caches as well as dense areas of IS fighters. We need to fund and arm the opposition forces such as the Kurds and possibly even the Syrians. While Bashar Al Assad remains a threat to the United States it may be in our best interest for the time being to help his regime defeat the Islamic State. If IS takes over the countries of Iraq and Syria then rather than having a small threat to our national interests, we will be faced with a much larger threat on both foreign and domestic fronts. If we can commit to stepping up our involvement in this conflict then we can adequately defeat the Islamic State by wiping them off of the face of the earth. I fear that if we continue to launch minimal airstrikes we will only fuel the fire that is their anger and hatred towards the west. We will be empowering their propaganda and driving more Muslims to radicalization against the rest of the free world. Let’s take a larger stand before it is too late. Let’s keep American troops out of the Middle East and decimate the Islamic State while it is still a rising power. I am confident that the administration is finally getting the message and I believe that in the President’s upcoming speech he will announce a new effective strategy to take the right steps towards defeating IS once and for all.

           

Davis, Julie. "Obama to Present Case for Broader U.S. Mission Against Militants." The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 9 Sept. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/us/politics/obama-to-present-case-for-broader-us-mission-against-militants.html?_r=2>.