On Oct. 31, an airliner exploded over the Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, mostly Russian tourists. Last Thursday, suicide bombers targeted a predominantly Shiite section of Beirut, killing 43 and wounding over 200. The following evening, a coordinated assault on the people of Paris killed 129 and wounded more than 300. We now know that all of these barbaric acts of terrorism were committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and its affiliates.
ISIS, also known by the disrespectful Arabic acronym "Daesh," is not just a terrorist group but an army taking territory in the Middle East. It is committed to erasing all borders and states in the Arab world (as well as Israel) as it seeks to consolidate its "caliphate." It beheads, rapes and crucifies civilians; has jihadist affiliates in Sinai, Libya and even Afghanistan; and encourages and facilitates terrorism in the West.
ISIS is a global security threat that requires a coordinated, multinational response, which uses military, intelligence and law enforcement tools as well as counter-radicalization efforts. As a common enemy, ISIS ostensibly could unite Sunni Arab states, Shia Iran, Israel, Turkey, the West and Russia. But deep-rooted geopolitical, sectarian and ideological divisions will hamper any coalition-building.
Many adversaries of ISIS are on opposite sides of the Syrian civil war: Shia Iran and Hezbollah as well as Russia support the brutal Assad regime (which is responsible for most of the civil war's 250,000 deaths and millions of refugees), while the U.S., the European Union, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Arab states want Assad gone. Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been reluctant to do anything that would shore up the Assad regime - including taking military action against ISIS, an enemy of Assad. The test will be whether these countries can be convinced to set aside their rivalries in a common cause.
The United States could make several critical contributions. It should lead NATO in invoking Article 5, the collective defense provision of the NATO Charter that declares an attack on one member, such as France, is "an attack against all." All NATO members (including Turkey) would then be obliged to contribute to the war against ISIS.
The U.S. should work closely with other UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, to authorize even broader international military action against ISIS. On the home front, America should remain true to its values and refuse to give in to the anti-refugee hysteria (and bigotry) currently sweeping the nation; those few thousand Syrian refugees waiting to come to our shores (who fled the brutality of both Assad and ISIS) have been painstakingly investigated. This pre-selected group is unlike the tens of thousands who charged into Europe unvetted, bringing with them at least one Paris terrorist.
On the military front, Congress should finally debate and pass a resolution authorizing the use of force against ISIS. The United States should contribute airpower, logistical support and special operators to defeat Daesh on the battlefield but should not deploy large numbers of American ground forces in Syria or Iraq. We must not give ISIS more recruitment propaganda by turning this into a war between Islam and the "infidels."
The struggle against ISIS is ultimately a war for the soul and future of Islam. Even as Daesh recruits and poisons the minds of young Muslims, the vast majority of its victims (over 10,000 so far) have been Muslims - Sunnis as well as Shiites.
If the "Islamic State" is to be defeated, the Muslim world will have to play a lead role. Posting "Not in Our Name" on social media and issuing anti-terrorism fatwas are necessary and helpful, but more is required. A cultural and ideological war must be waged against jihadism in Sunni communities, mosques and schools throughout the world, and for that campaign the frontline troops must be members of the "umma" (the global Muslim community).
As for the shooting war, the vast majority of "boots on the ground" in Iraq and Syria should come from local Arabs and Kurds, Sunni Arab states, Turkey and other Muslim countries - all those willing to fight to save Islam from the barbarians.
(AP photo)
