Conflicts energize ISIS, not eliminate
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Editor,
Terrorism, alive and well: I write this on 9/11 as my added contribution to the many perspectives on international terrorism.
President Obama spoke for 15 minutes last night, having been forced by hawkish and angry outcries, to articulate a strategy to eliminate ISIS.
Sadly and dangerously ISIS has been used as yet another avenue to demean the Obama administration. This is bad for our security, bad for America’s reputation around the world and bad for getting down to the real business of eliminating ISIS.
These are critical times in our nation, in our world. Developing strategies to combat and defeat ISIS requires time, much debate and a thoroughly bipartisan planning process for achieving an internationally involved movement. We have made too many poor decisions with our military might in the past. Continuing to make poor decisions, given the catastrophic nature of today’s weapons of mass destruction, can lead to destroying life on earth as we know it. It is time for new thinking, new strategies, new coalitions with visionary leaders in the world working together.
Destroying ISIS cannot be successful by simply employing reactive, military style responses. ISIS is born and built upon an age-old ideology, a teaching, a recruiting of discontented young people and a form of Middle East sectarian religious conflicts which bombs and bullets only energize.
The only way to defeat an ISIS-type movement is to get to the genesis of the movement. This involves working with leaders of nations in which the radical ISIS philosophy lives and grows. This involves diplomacy and education. This involves infiltration of the movement. This involves intelligence. This involves quick-response units, such as our Navy Seals, who take early action on intelligence which nips an ISIS type attack plan in the bud. And most of all, this involves an internationally based movement.
ISIS thrives on war. ISIS dies on a sensible, international terrorist elimination movement initiated and promoted through America’s leadership.
Bob McClellan
Polson
