Terror continues in Iraq and Syria as the Islamic State, otherwise known as ISIS or ISIL, has yet to halt its aggressive campaign. With the brutal executions including beheadings, crucifixions and recently the burning of a Jordanian pilot, it has simultaneously spread fear throughout its region and made enemies with most of the world.
So far, the U.S. and allies have been working with local Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, providing weapons and strategists in addition to limited strategic airstrikes throughout ISIS-controlled Iraq and Syria. They have also been joined by several other nations who have provided funding as well as UN-led humanitarian aid to the thousands of displaced refugees. And how well has this been working? While several refugee camps have been successfully helping escapees, ISIS’s advances have yet to be fully reversed. As mentioned, direct military aid is mostly limited to airstrikes.
President Obama, who approved the airstrikes in September, is now trying to get a new authorization resolution from Congress. The past six months he has cited the “Authorization for Use of Military Force against Terrorists (AUMF),” which passed with almost unanimous bipartisan support in 2001, as the authority by which he has carried out the strikes so far. Truly, the AUMF provides Obama with all the authority necessary to engage ISIS as needed because of its prior association with Al-Qaeda. Despite this, the White House still seeks a more detailed resolution — the official request, though, has yet to be submitted. Congressional Democrats, namely House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), claim talks with the White House are leaning toward a new resolution that would both limit our time of engagement to three years, limit the possibility of ground troops and repeal previous resolutions. Why would the Obama administration want to throw out authorization that gives him, as commander-in-chief, power to engage ISIS in any way possible for however long needed in exchange for limited capabilities? This new resolution sounds like it would mostly just allow him to continue the same airstrikes — airstrikes that for four months have only helped contain and not reverse ISIS expansion. The strikes were a great start, but now have mostly forced ISIS military underground. Not to mention, their atrocities have only grown crueler; recent reports claim they’re using children with mental disabilities as human shields.
If Congress drafts a new resolution, it can serve to help validate a stronger military effort against ISIS, but it also needs to be a full and long-term commitment — something many Americans don’t want to hear. If the U.S. wants to get involved in the international community by actively pursuing peace, then it must commit to ensuring it. ISIS will only fall when a strong, competent army engages it, and the Kurds and Iraqi military, sadly, are not fully equipped for this fight. In fact, the Iraqi government is weak, corrupt and does not have the ability to keep peace within its own borders, even before ISIS invaded. U.S. presence in Iraq prior to 2012 was the main reason the government was able to maintain peace and remain an inclusive government; it not only bolstered Iraq’s strength but also provided the intelligence on the terrorist enemies of the state.
In fact, in December 2011, after the U.S. pulled the last of its troops, there was a spike in violence in Iraq. Within a year the government had lost all of its ability to effectively represent and protect its citizens. This was the perfect breeding ground for ISIS. The war against it won’t end when it is defeated, and it would be a grave injustice to invade and leave Iraqi citizens without a strong government. We cannot make that foolish mistake again.
Active U.S. peacemaking is the key to long-term peace for Iraq; that is the active participation in the destruction of ISIS (the use of military ground forces) followed by the active participation in strengthening an inclusive government in the region (one that Assyrian, Kurds, Turks, Sunni and Shia Arabs can get behind). If the Obama administration can promise this long-term commitment and pursue an appropriate resolution, the U.S. can finally put this evil to rest.
