By Joe Carbonari
A group that has been fighting against the Assad government in Syria has as its primary mission the establishment of a strict Islamist state in traditional Sunni areas of what is now Syria and Iraq. They are called the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). They’ve been fighting in both Syria and Iraq for the last couple of years with some significant success. In June they made a well-coordinated run in north-central Iraq and captured large amounts of territory, including Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul.
Government forces melted away, and the locals, mostly Sunnis, tended to be neutral to welcoming. The result is a newly declared Islamist state, with strict Sharia Islamist law and a requirement to swear allegiance or face execution – both mass killings and beheadings have been reported.
The newly announced Islamic state’s ruler, the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is the past head of Al Qaeda in Iraq, described as a battlefield fighter and tactician. He took on the current Al Qaeda forces fighting in Syria, went his own way, and now ISIS is considered as the up-and-coming terrorist organization, eclipsing even Al Qaeda in growth and importance.
ISIS must be stopped. It is building a cadre of thousands of experienced, dedicated fighters who will be an on-going threat, worldwide, for years to come. We can lead, but only diplomatically. After all, it’s their sandbox.
By Tim Baldwin
How many evils in the world must America stop? One could look around the world and see atrocities “worthy” of stopping everywhere. But should America use its force as a sovereign nation to stop every evil that exists in the world? And is the object of all these wars really justice, or is there something else at play?
Reality is, many are pushing our wars and international entanglements around the world for economic interests, not justice. For example, Rush Limbaugh said on June 24, 2014, “[the United States military] serves as an umbrella of safety for world commerce. This is what a superpower takes on as a responsibility.” He continued, saying, “When we retreat from the world and bring our military with us, there are negative economic consequences worldwide.”
This foreign policy has kept the United States in perpetual war in the world for decades and forces America to enter into treaties and union-type agreements with other nations, which bind and limit our sovereignty. It puts America in precarious situations – ones that threaten us on our own soil. I prefer America not use our military to enrich bankers and global corporates, especially when we can’t even secure our own border from illegal aliens at home.