Responding to ISIS

In the past several years, ISIS has grown to be a formidable foe to the Middle East and the West. The terror organization completely disregards international law and human life as seen through its vicious conquest of large swaths of Iraq and Syria to fulfill its hopes of creating a worldwide caliphate under the name “Islamic State”. Despite this troubling news, the U.S.’s and West’s response to ISIS has been quite limited in scope. Through a U.S. led coalition of Western and Middle Eastern countries, there have been over 16,000 airstrikes launched into Iraq and Syria within the last six months. However, less than 1% of the territory conquered by ISIS has been returned to Iraq, making one lesson clear: the US strategy to deal with ISIS is failing.
 
Instead the US and the West must pursue a drastically different approach, one that would ensure the complete elimination of ISIS and effectively address terrorism within the region. In particular, the U.S. must intensify air strikes instead of restraining them. In fact, “between August 8, 2014, and October 23, 2014—76 days—the United States conducted only 632 airstrikes and dropped only 1,700 munitions in Iraq and Syria.” Clearly, these nearsighted attempts have failed completely.  

Furthermore, President Obama must lift the prohibition on U.S. soldiers on the ground because an air campaign is not enough to eliminate ISIS. Through a ground campaign, soldiers can communicate with allied soldiers and create strategies to quickly stake out and eliminate ISIS positions. Moreover, the U.S. should train peshmarga, Sunni tribes, the Free Syrian Army, and ISF to decrease alienation between the Sunnis and Shiites. These efforts are necessary when many Sunnis have been allying with ISIS because of the frequent abuse suffered under Shiite militia. 

Ultimately, the U.S. must combine the assistance of all non-“extremist” groups, Sunni and Shiite, to work toward creating a post-conflict Iraq and Syria. In Syria, the international community must work to establish a post-Assad administration that is approved by the various sects in Syria. Furthermore, in Iraq, the U.S. must push toward autonomy for Kurds and Sunnis so that they are able to govern themselves independently free from Shiite rule.  

Although these solutions may sound ambitious, they are precautionary measures that can prevent the rise of another devastating terror group. Certainly, long-term plans should be laid out for this region than none at all.