Tuesday, November 17, 2015
ISIS in Syria: No easy solution
ISIS in Syria: No easy solution As a result of the recent tragedies in Paris, there has been an outcry to put a stop to ISIS. Many call for complete neutralization of this radical group so that they can no longer commit these atrocities. However, neutralizing this group is unfortunately easier said than done. There is a major deficiency in opposition to ISIS in Syria. The only reliable defense forces against this nihilistic organization in its home nation are undermanned, underequipped, and underfunded. Neighboring Turkey is only adding fuel to the fire by largely disregarding the radicals that flood into Syria and instead focusing their military power on the Kurds that inhabit the surrounding nations. This influx of radicals has given given the flame that is ISIS a metaphorical can of lighter fluid by allowing it to grow and become more potentially dangerous. Also, even though the United States military is the mightiest in the world, our strategy for handling this situation is tired and inefficient. The combination of sending military personnel to train the existing opposition forces and air strikes isn't effective if there aren't enough people to train. The situation seems dire at this point. What do you think about our chances of effectively neutralizing ISIS influence. Also do you think there is a more efficient way to go about this than the military strategy already put in place?
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Keeping our current military strategy in place will not work and will only draw this conflict out for many more years. Our current actions are weak and uncommitted. To truly stop ISIS we simply need to obliterate them through overwhelming military force. No more playing around no attempts at negotiations, these people will never listen to anyone. They are insane and there is no chance at a peaceful solution here. Much like in World War 2 with the Japanese these people will never give up and we simply have to put a quick and efficient end to them through complete destruction of their occupied areas. Yes there are civilians in those areas who are innocent of any wrongdoing but there where plenty of innocent people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is war, and people die in wars. We should of course take any steps possible to warn and minimize the civilian casualties without disrupting the mission to wipe these people out. That is the only way to stop them, completely wipe them out.
ReplyDeleteAs Kyle said, our current military strategy doesn't work and I don't think that it's going to start working any time soon. However, If we don't obliterate ISIS, Obama will face criticism for not taking action, and if we do obliterate ISIS, he'll face criticism for killing civilians. There is no way of getting around that, but something has to be done very soon to protect the well-being of the world. If the U.S. destroyed ISIS, how long would it be before the next terrorist organization popped up? Bombing ISIS will solve the problem in the short term, but would also breed further anti-American sentiment in the Middle East. Unfortunately, I don't think that terrorism will ever be completely wiped out, but I think the most effective force to fight it would be a strong global coalition against it, through NATO and the UN.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ryan. If we use military force to get rid of ISIS - as Kyle suggested - it will only strenghten anti-American ideology and cause another terrorist group to form. The world wouldn't be any safer from acts of terrorism, so there would be a lot of casualties and nothing accomplished. It wouldn't be a longterm solution, and we need a longterm solution. I think the best way to achieve a longterm solution is by working with the UN.
ReplyDeleteISIS is clearly established as our most urgent and dangerous threat to homeland security, especially following last week's events in Paris. What we've been doing is ineffiecient and there is a dire need for a change. On the one frustrated side of my mind I agree with Kyle's idea in plainly demolishing what we can of ISIS. But that isn't practical, so I think working with the UN is the best choice, although we need to decide/act on something SOON.
ReplyDeleteOverwhelming military force will not solve the problem of terrorism and fundamentalism in the Middle East. Unlike the Nazis in World War II, ISIS wants Western countries to oppose them. The killing of civilians will only fan the flames of anti-American sentiment prevalent in the region due to our hawkish attitudes and mishandling of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Of course ISIS needs to be dismantled and its leaders disposed, but the correct way to go about doing so without making the situation worse does not include a full-on assault. There is no easy solution - we need to take away ISIS's power from the bottom up, starting with aid to refugees and civilians in the Middle East. ISIS is largely in power because they supply necessities to many. If we start providing those necessities, I believe they will lose a large base of their support. Also, I can condone air-strikes and assassinations as long as we limit civilian casualties.
ReplyDeleteComplete annihilation does not seem as if it would be a valid solution; while it might displace ISIS, it would do nothing for the patterns of terrorism in this region of turmoil. And also, it would come at great loss of life for many innocents, which is a high price to pay when the goal is to stop these organizations from taking more lives, and using our previous acts of war as an example does not justify plans we might have today.
ReplyDeleteAs Seth said, we need to address ISIS' source of power by aiding refugees in the Middle East ourselves, as they support ISIS, because they see them as their protectors. Also, targeting those who fund ISIS militias would also be a step in the right direction. We need to think long term in this situation, and the best way to do that is to prevent terrorist organizations from coming to power at all. As the article states, the best time to deal with this problem was in 2012 before ISIS when the conflicts in Iraq and Syria that led to the rise of ISIS still could have been resolved.
America's previous attack strategies will not work in this situation. The best method would be to work with the UN to shut down ISIS by co-aligning ourselves with other nations that oppose them. A large obliterating attack might seem effective, but it would also worsen how America is viewed by many in that region. The UN should work to stop ISIS's efforts while America should help those in need in the region, gaining a better image and stopping the support of ISIS in its tracks.
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