Can ISIS Be Beaten?

Countries all over the world are setting the stage for an international coalition against the Islamic State. At last count, nearly FORTY countries are signing their names to the dotted line, promising some measure of military or political action against ISIS. Some are promising to send money, some are vowing financial aid and many others say they would even go so far to send ground troops into Iraq and Syria.

And yet, CURRENT Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday, right now, the US is NOT looking to recruit ground troops from any other countries. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul criticizes Obama on this point, saying the Commander in Chief is stuck in pause, surprised that yet another war zone is breaking out in the Middle East.

The answer is simple. Barack Obama staged his entire presidential campaign on one promise: ending the war in Iraq. Now, he’s on the verge of launching another full-blown war in that same country, AND the one next door.

How can US pilots differentiate between ISIS fighters on the ground and Iraqi or Syrian civilians? Airstrikes sound like a clean, buttoned up solution to many Americans, safe from harms reach. But in the Middle East, Islamic State fighters and other extreme Sunni muslims are integrated right into the very fabric of society. They’re not all just camping out in the open, waving black flags for the fighter jet pilots to single them out. Quite the opposite is true. Many ISIS fighters are retracting farther and farther into the cities, towns and villages of Iraq and Syria. Instead of hiding behind the cover of dense jungles and trees like the guerilla fighters in Vietnam, these fighters are taking cover in plain sight.

A new poll shows nearly 70 percent of Americans doubt the President’s plan to fight ISIS will even work, and without ground troops, they might be right. During the Persian Gulf War the US military combined with 38 other countries to send 750 thousand troops into Iraq. US military intervention has been far from perfect, but airstrikes alone are not a long term solution. Former Secretary of State, Jim Baker, served in the White House during the Persian Gulf War. On Sunday, Baker said that at some point, ground troops will be needed, regardless of where they come from. Not only to identify and defeat ISIS on the ground, but also to provide a residual long-term presence, preventing extreme Islamic militants from starting yet another deadly uprising.