The Russian charter plane explosion, for which ISIS claimed responsibility, may be a turning point for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Advertisement
McCain predicted in the interview, which was conducted before the terror attacks in Paris on Friday, that ISIS would take advantage of the migrant crisis to send its operatives to major Western cities.
“There have been a few who have suggested that we should put large numbers of United States troops on the ground…”
“This is not an abstraction”, Obama said. “When we send troops in, those troops get injured”. That plea would appear to fall on President Obama’s deaf ears.
“That’s shameful”, Obama declared. America has always been a land of liberty for those who flee from tyranny, but that has only been possible because of American strength overseas and competence at home. The Islamic State didn’t start this fight. Barack Obama is now saying, quite worryingly, that his strategy may not allow that to be possible.
France had it right when they refused to support the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The Islamic State said the attacks in Paris were retaliation for French air strikes in Iraq and Syria. When it comes to these groups and the targeted governments, the USA is on the same side as the Islamic State.
He also said that it would not be enough to “take on ISIL in Iraq and Syria alone”.
The President also outlined that part of the problem with ISIL is they have created a narrative of having a state making it look “enticing to potential recruits”.
“When you have a handful of people that don’t mind dying, you can kill a lot of people”, Obama said. “There were no specific mentions of this particular attack that would give us a sense of something that we need – that we could provide French authorities, for example, or act on ourselves”. “Our goal, as I’ve said many times, is to degrade and ultimately destroy this barbaric terrorist organization”.
The President feels going after ISIL leadership, helping local countries regain their borders, expanding cooperation between world countries and tracking, disrupting and preventing ISIL members from their missions is the best tactic. Now is the time, not merely to contain the Islamic State, but to eradicate it once and for all.
Advertisement
Still, sharp differences over Assad’s future and disagreements about what militant groups in Syria should be considered terrorists have dampened hopes for a breakthrough.
