By Catherine Record
Contributing Writer
With Isis on the rise, causing conflicts in Iraq to increase, one question lingers in the American psyche—Will there be another war in Iraq? Before that question can be appropriately answered, there is an additional one that should be scrutinized above all—Is Isis an eminent threat?
An initial thought would be to consider the number of execution videos which the terrorist cell has posted of the brutal deaths of American and British citizens. These murders have been taken seriously and are the reason Isis has become the main target for air strikes. But the question remains as to whether or not the group is a treat which would warrant war.
So far President Obama is not commanding any American ground troops be deployed to Iraq, to fight yet another war there, in the hope that the group can be defeated through air strikes.
Although troops have entered Iraq recently, “They will not, and do not, have a combat mission,” said President Obama.
Some political analysts view as an approach “too calm” for such a threat, but President Obama is refusing to press the panic button just yet. Reflecting on America’s last entrance into war in Iraq, the President’s reluctance is not only understandable, but strictly tactful. Often, when a war is rushed into, it is to gain a rallying support from American citizens. When this happened after 9/11, George Bush was criticized for going in without any coalition from other allies and nations.
President Obama emphasizes the importance of support from other nations in the fight against Isis. America has already formed a coalition with Britain against the group, and as of now, Syrian rebels, Iraqi and Kurdish forces are on the ground fighting, while France has begun air strikes in Iraq.
Those are just a few among the 40 countries that have joined the coalition against Isis, in the hopes that the terrorist group’s activities in the region can be effectively terminated without the interference of foreign troops.
President Obama’s more tactful methodology is a breath of fresh air, pointing to what is hopefully a more comprehensive and organized foreign policy to dealing with terrorism abroad and the conflicts in the region.
The current situation does not point to another ground war in Iraq in the near feature, yet the threat of Isis is not taken lightly. The tactic air strikes, paired with international cooperation initiative are still the only official language used by the government. And as the story develops, the hope in the U.S. and around the world, is that the conflict will be resolved as soon and with a little lost to human life as possible.
