OBAMA FIGHTS ISIS

Did we learn anything from Korean and Vietnam? The answer is, yes; at least the President did. That lesson is simple and can be reduced to a simple statement—“no boots on the ground—ever”. If the people will not fight for their country, neither will we. Of course, that is much too simple. The perceived threats of Korea and Vietnam were not direct to us but many in this country considered those “fights for independence” was a step toward world domination by communism in the context of a long tumultuous world history. It is now clear we could have done nothing with essentially the same result. That does not seem to be the case in the Middle East. If we do nothing the results could be devastating. It is no longer one political system against another but also involves a different strategy from open warfare, which is sneaky terrorism. A small group of terrorist nurtured by a nest of radical religious ideologues fighting to dominate the world is grandiose but also is troublesome nonsense. It is nonsense until that group of ideologues has a countering “ideology”. Ideologies do not have “sovereign” based homelands and identifiable sources of sustainable income. In the Syria-Iraqi conflict, country boarders have little meaning, which is what the president point out by using the ISIL designation. ISIS fighters funded by non-identifiable forces from all over the world and presumable its adherents can freely travel from country to country.

The world has changed. We no longer rely on definable front line in war; great armies and navies led by heroic generals and admirals and uniformed soldiers and sailors facing one another. We cannot pack airplanes, ships, and tanks into the soles of our shoe or in our underwear. In fact, people without a “dog in the fight”, people with a variety of ideologues driven by their own demons tell us on the internet how to manufacture all plastic guns terrorists can sneak through airport security or other weapons we can manufacture in our kitchens and garages. Nor do terrorist wear uniforms or are otherwise identifiable. The combination of shadowy individual terrorists mixed with various religious ideologies in a world without identifiable boarders is extremely unsettling. It is difficult to tell whom they are or even tell us where they are or exactly what they are fighting until it is too late.

Overall, what Obama has reveled over the past few days is truly remarkable. What has been happening is do entirely his doings; congress turn into a den of political cowards who abandoned their duty. Perhaps that is a good thing when you look at the likes of John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Louie Gohmert, and Steven King. We know that Obama over came what seemed to be impossible odds and is responsible for forming a complex of disparate “allies” to confront many different threats to peace. Russia is trying to overrun a small nation as a step to restoring its position as a world power. Over the objections of England, France, and Germany, Obama put together a coalition to use diplomacy and economic sanctions to mute that threat. What the American people seem not to appreciate was that in the process he was able to overcome the biggest threat of all; Texaco cancelled an extremely complex partnership with Russia that would have them Russian access to drill the pristine Arctic for oil. This was little noticed in the media but reported in the Wall Street Journal, Russian Sanctions Force Exxon to Pull Out of Arctic Project by Paul Ausick September 21, 2014.

The President announced he has five Arab nations aiding the efforts against ISIS. There are hints that Iran and Turkey are sympathetic to the cause. Superficially this is remarkable but when we closely examine it seems like it would have been impossible—but he did it. Think about it this way; he was able to ally Sunni and Shia dominated nations to fight against radical religious ideologue—sort of like fighting them selves but they recognize the universal danger of radical groups. This is all happening while Israel-Palestinian conflict is festering. Thus, these are Muslim nations joining us in a fight against radical Muslims; the political equivalent of persuading Republicans to fight against the “radical” Koch Brothers faction of the Tea Party that is fighting to destroy our democracy and replace it with plutocracy they control with their money.

There is no way of knowing how this will all turn out. As the situation becomes more and more complex, so does the solution. My fear is that the “might is right” neo-cons will take over congress in this election and perhaps the presidency in 2016. I see no evidence that any of them has the finesse to understand the situation with all of its nuances as well as our current president does. I am pleased that the president stands alone, but only because of his intellect. He said, “No boots on the ground!” Thus, he told the world that we would not do it alone. This is the most critical part of the entire strategy. If our so-called European allies do not support us, if the Iraqi people do not unite, and if the Islamic nations do not join in the fight against radicalism, the Muslim people especially but the entire world will have to face never ending religious based efforts to dominate political power—establish caliphates—what mankind has been fighting for the last 150,000 years. Could it be that this president by embracing the Arab Spring will put an end to that—I don’t think so but glory be if he can make both the Christian world and the Islamic world see it in a different way—all men created equally regardless of what God they believe or don’t believe in! 

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