What should we do about ISIS?

[Vattel]

I guess I don't see a better approach than Obama's, but I am open to being enlightened. Granted, ISIS cannot be destroyed given that approach alone. But we and our allies have hurt them pretty bad in Iraq and Syria, and we have done so without killing huge numbers of innocent bystanders.

Frankly, I just don't see any reasonable path to destroying ISIS in the short term. In Syria and Iraq, like in Afghanistan, Obama's choices have rightly taken into account noncombatant casualties, the tendency of the use of American force in the region to feed terrorism, and the plain fact that we can't completely control the political outcomes of anything we do to alter the political status quo in the area. Perhaps containment and modest rollback is the best we can do, at least for now.

[tonyt53]

1. The long term solution is non-military. In the mean time, kill as many as possible.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. First order of strategy: containment

ISIS/ISIL cannot be allowed to expand into new territories especially in new countries.

This should be a world effort.

Then multinational military should be enlisted to weaken the organization as well as trying to cut off their funding.

It won't happen in a year.

[Vattel]

9. Seems right

[asiliveandbreathe]

3. Don't know if can happen but would be great if the

Sunni and Shiite would band together for the sake of their region - especially Aleppo - a strong coalition to fight off ISIL/ISIS - but as we all know - their conflict has been going on for centuries....

Maybe the Sunni and Shiite Imams could sway them - from 2014..who knows....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/12/imams-denounce-isis_n_5579370.html

[Kaleva]

4. ISIS is getter weaker and weaker. At least in Iraq and Syria

They haven't been able to launch an offensive of significance in that area in some time. Many of their top leaders have been killed in combat or by airstrikes. Desertion and poor morale has become a problem for ISIS.The Kurds are reporting that the ISIS soldiers they are fighting are getting younger and younger.

ISIS, as ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah, will be defeated in time and remnants will survive by going underground but the problems in the region that give rise to groups like ISIS will remain.

[Vattel]

10. True, ISIS has been hurt bad in Iraq and Syria, but their ability to attract supporters elsewhere

makes me less than sanguine about the prospects of defeat in the near future.

[beachbumbob]

5. Stop the money and weapons flow...no one talks about that

[Vattel]

11. Obama has done a lot to attack them financially.

How do you stop the weapons flow?

[cleanhippie]

6. Only by marginalizing religion will we ever be free of religious fanatics.

[LanternWaste]

8. And as always when one rationalization for war is removed, another will take its place

And as always when one rationalization for war is removed, another will take its place and work just as effectively in allowing humanity to better justify its greed and desire to move imaginary red and blue lines on a map just a little bit further out...

[cleanhippie]

14. True, but religion is a special case. It causes so much more harm than just war.

Bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, irrational thinking....

Many of society's problems are directly linked to religion and the privilege it enjoys.

[snooper2]

7. air-drop around 4-500 Toyota Hilux trucks in a non-populated area

Wait-

let them assemble-


Bomb

[Starry Messenger]

12. Recruits are beginning to drift away--that's why the attacks in Europe have happened.

They are asking their cells to stay put because the first rush of people to join has slowed considerably. It seems not giving people a reason to get more radicalized and less willing to blow themselves up has been working.

Here's a gripping interview by an ex-ISIS: http://www.thedailybeast.com/longforms/2015/isis-weiss/confessions-of-an-isis-spy.html

[Vattel]

13. Interesting. Thx for the link!