President Barack Obama announced in a speech Wednesday night a plan for U.S. airstrikes in Syria, as well as increased U.S. support for the Syrian opposition.
“In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its people; a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost,” said Obama, referring to ISIS, which is also known as ISIL and the Islamic State, and also referring to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.”
The amount of manpower and resources that the U.S. is willing to invest in the battle against ISIS is yet to be seen; however, Obama made it clear that the plan will not include American boots on the ground in Iraq or in Syria.
The United States’ success in causing meaningful and permanent damage to ISIS is partially dependent on external factors – whether stability can be achieved in Iraq under a new government and whether ISIS in Syria can be defeated in a political environment that helped the terror group grow.
Will the new Iraqi government be effective in fighting ISIS?
About a third of Iraq is now controlled by ISIS, and the United States’ success in defeating the terror group is largely dependent on whether the Iraqi government can be an effective partner in the fight.
–
“Right now Syria is such a mess – it’s very difficult to discern good from bad or more importantly who we can trust regardless of affiliation,” said Marks.
State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf said last month that the U.S. goes to “great lengths to vet people we give any assistance to.”
Shahbandar hopes that the Department of Defense’s “Train and Equip” program “is enacted immediately and that the funds are appropriated to enhance the Syrian opposition’s capacity to fight ISIS.”
The Syrian opposition has suffered significant losses while battling a war on three fronts- against the al-Assad regime, against ISIS and against the Nusra Front, a militant group.
Whether Congress will approve the “Train and Equip” program and whether legislators will approve it before congressional recess, which is set to begin in less than two weeks, is yet to be seen.
