The tally stands now at two American reporters whose lives have been taken by the Islamist extremist group ISIS, one of them being added last week when the video of Steven Foley’s execution was released. America holds its breath as these terrorists not only threaten their Middle Eastern homeland, but the world as well.
ISIS’s (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) mission is to restore an Islamic state that encompasses a radical form of their religion, eliminating any person or group that stands as an impediment. The majority of the world’s Muslim population is denouncing this new group’s radical actions, as they oppose Islam’s original beliefs.
ISIS has been utilizing scare tactics in order to prove their message, hence the executions of the reporters that are filmed. These videos are an attempt to intimidate those who watch them and send a gruesome message, but more importantly, they act as publicity for terrorist ranks. Unfortunately, this scheme is working; ISIS has gained new members from numerous parts of the globe. And according to US Intelligence, the group is surprisingly the richest terrorist organization in the world.
In fact, they are gaining power; not at any rate that the world should go into panic mode, but one in which it should take very seriously. However, ISIS’s weaknesses are evident.
For one, the group is biting off more than it can possibly chew at the present moment. After they satisfy their hunger for Middle Eastern countries, they plan to crusade to other countries in an attempt to spread their beliefs. However, other countries are now aware of this possibility and counteracting by taking extra security precautions to make it difficult for any dangerous outsider to penetrate their borders.
The extremists also have a shallow knowledge of how to effectively maneuver as a military entity. As it may be slightly less difficult to use forms of undercover terrorism in other countries, it will be very hard for them to control a substantial amount of territory to create their ‘Islamic State’. To add, their ability to attain and operate combat technology such as vehicles is limited, leaving the majority of ISIS contained to Northern Syria, Iraq, and the immediate surrounding areas for now.
My advice to the worlds’ governments? Strike while the iron’s hot and take the issue with precedence. We can’t afford to turn our backs on these dangerous extremists, despite any doubts we have about their abilities. We must defeat the terrorists now while the group is still infantile, and on top of that, while the world is aware and against them.
President Obama addressed the nation Wednesday night about the ISIS threat. He focused on a four step approach of 1) concentrated airstrikes where ISIS is located, 2) small units of US ground forces to fight the terrorists without handcuffing them to long-term combat missions, 3) counter-terrorist action including increasing intelligence and defense, suffocating funding, and cutting off the flow of western ISIS recruits, and finally 4) humanitarian aid to the people living in these violent areas. Obama’s situation can be similarly compared to the one that stared down President Truman in 1945; a blunt realization that the enemy must be defeated, however the decision making process being quite difficult.
Ultimately, the world should be able to follow President Obama’s steps in some form though.
Disregarding the separate minutiae of nations’ militarized plans, the world community holds responsible for addressing ISIS. A concentrated terrorist group could easily become a far-reaching threat.
Sure, ISIS can intimidate with videos and waving black flags. However with a force cooperating world powers, the looming threat of being tracked down in the world’s crosshairs could very possibly press this extremist group into a different state of mind.
Because when the good guys work together, evil does not usually fare too well.