On Obama's ISIS Strategy

Photo by Chuck Kennedy (Official White House photo)

President Barack Obama on Wednesday evening outlined a military plan including the authorization of airstrikes in Syria in order to "degrade and ultimately destroy" the terrorist group ISIS.

In a televised address to the nation, President Obama, who has repeatedly refrained from intervening in Syria since the country descended into civil war three years ago, expressed a belief that in light of ISIS' recent violence against American citizens — notably the beheading of two journalists — there was no alternative to military intervention. 

Obama's reluctance regarding Syrian involvement can be partially attributed to his previously strong anti-war stance. One of his main campaign premises was withdrawing troops from Iraq — something accomplished less than three years ago. It seemed Obama was well aware of this; in his speech, he strongly emphasized that the planned action would draw less parallels with the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more with strategies that have been "successfully pursued" 

Obama's hesitation could also be chalked up to the inherently unstable relationship between the United States and Syria. The two countries have a history of rocky relations, as chronicled on the website of the U.S. Department of State. Since the U.S. first recognized Syria as an independent state in 1944, it has maintained an on again/off again consular presence in the country. Diplomatic relations were completely severed between 1967 and 1974 due to the countries' opposing declarations of support in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Reestablished relations have been considerably strained; Syria's tendency of providing what the DOS deems "continuing support and safe haven for terrorist organizations" has guaranteed the country a spot on a U.S. list of states that actively "sponsor" terrorism since the inception of said list in 1979. 

This tension with regard to terrorism seems to have reached a boiling point with ISIS — the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL. ISIS was created in 2006; it aims to create a fully Islamic state led by a strict interpretation of Sharia law. In what could be considered a meteoric rise to infamy worldwide, with three separate beheadings of foreign hostages American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and British aid worker David Haines — ISIS has become a household name and a fixture on the daily news circuit. 

Reactions to Obama's proposal were mixed, with criticism from the right and praise from the left, as was to be expected. 

Republican House Speaker John Boehner called Obama's arguments for action "compelling" but questioned the vagueness of the plan itself, stating that "many questions remain about the way in which the president intends to act." 

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Obama's plan "strong and decisive" and called on Democrats and Republicans to come together "in a strong show of support" to grant the Obama administration the congressional authority to arm and train Syrian troops in order to effectively combat ISIS. 

Obama urged both sides to come together for the greater good of the nation, calling ISIS "a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, and the broader Middle East — including American citizens, personnel and facilities."