Time to Take Out ISIS

As the world reacts with horror to Friday’s terror attack in Paris coming so shortly after the downing of the Russian-operated A321M over the Sinai, it should be clear to even the most casual observer that the piecemeal and divided international effort to deal with violent radical Islam in general and the Islamic State (ISIS) in particular is inadequate. Recent events show that the scope of the threat is increasing, as is its lethality. The human crisis, as illustrated by the number of displaced persons in the Middle East and refugees arriving in Europe, is reaching catastrophic proportions and threatens, among other political effects, to break up European unity. Time has come for dramatic measures, starting with the building of a western-led (but inclusive of Russia) military alliance to attack the ISIS “caliphate” and destroy its combat capability, a renewed international intelligence and law enforcement efforts to track down and neutralize the leadership of ISIS and related leaders and propagandists providing material or political support to violent radical Islam.  This intelligence effort–critical to long-term success against the evil of violent Islam–will require rebuilding some of the surveillance capabilities dismantled in the past ten years. Finally, religious leaders around the whole need to exert moral authority to condemn the warped and violent interpretation of Islam promulgated by ISIS, Al Qaeda and their ilk.  Similarly, the leadership of primarily Muslim states, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, must unequivocally condemn the violent interpretation of Islam and commit to supporting the international military, intelligence, and law enforcement coalition.

On 14 November 2015, French President Francois Hollande called the ISIS attacks in Paris an “act of war.”  The previous day’s attacks were clearly coordinated and inspired if not directed by ISIS.  Further, the attacks represent a maturing of ISIS’ terrorist plans and intentions reminiscent of al-Qaeda pre-9/11.  In our view the assault against France directed by an external power, even if not a traditional nation-state, should present grounds for the invocation of Article V of the NATO Charter calling for combined NATO military action against the aggressor, in this case ISIS in Syria and Iraq. ISIS’ presence is manifested most clearly in its declared “caliphate,” but the target set for a military response should also include ISIS’ leadership and operational networks around the world.  As weary as the United States might be after nearly 15 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the type of military action that only NATO led by the U.S. can bring to bear needs to be an essential element in any strategy to defeat ISIS.  There can be no “coalition of the willing” or meaningful international military effort unless such an effort is built and led by the United States and NATO.  If you build it they will come.  If you do not, they won’t.