It must be obvious to anyone paying attention that ISIS is hoping not just for a strong reaction but for an overreaction. That’s why the ISIS brand of terror is nearly always terror at its most intentionally provocative.
Overreaction brings recruits. Horror brings recruits. A beheading video demands a response. Destroying iconic pieces of past civilizations demands a response. As Harleen Gambhir, a counterterrorism analyst, wrote in The Washington Post, the attack on Paris was a trap for Europe and its right-wing anti-immigrant parties, with ISIS expecting a crackdown on innocent Muslims already living there and a movement that would make the current refugee crisis even worse.
In America, the most surprising takeaway from the Democratic debate Saturday night was that the ever-prepared Hillary Clinton did not have a sound-bite-ready plan for what to do about ISIS in the post-Paris world.
Instead, she stumbled on whether the Obama administration had been slow to recognize the danger of ISIS — of course it had – and allowed herself to get caught up in a discussion of her long-ago vote on the Iraq war and the semantical difference between “radical jihad” and “radical Islam.”
What it showed, as much as anything, is just how difficult the question is to answer. If there’s anything we should have learned in the post-9/11 world, it’s that nearly every response we’ve tried has had its own problems.
By Sunday, Clinton was back in form, saying it was America’s role to pull our allies “off the sidelines” on ISIS and into the fight. She was calling for American leadership, without fear of anyone asking the follow-up question of where that leadership might take us.
What Clinton did know, and from the start, was what not to say. Fortunately for her, if not for America, the many Republicans in the presidential field were all too ready to fill that gap, walking right into Gambhir’s trap.
We can start with the GOP co-leaders. Donald Trump, when not saying the attack was about gun control, was reiterating his blame-Obama-first, no-refugee positions. Ben Carson said that America needed to do a better job of creating a coalition to join the battle. But when asked three times by Chris Wallace whom he would call to help create the coalition, Carson seemed to have no idea. Finally, he offered “all of the Arab states” and “all of our traditional allies.” On Twitter, this was being called the Sarah Palin response.
Ted Cruz, meanwhile, said we were being too careful in our bombing and that we should worry less about killing innocent civilians. No, he really said that, and he didn’t stop there. He then went out of his way to make sure this was being interpreted as a Christian vs. Muslim battle. Cruz said that we should not allow any Muslim refugees from Syria into the country, no matter how deserving, saying the idea was “lunacy.” He said Christian refugees, on the other hand, presented no “meaningful” risk to America and should be welcome. He didn’t say how we would be able to tell the difference between Christian and Muslim, presumably because he’ll never have to actually make that choice.
From the serious candidates, Jeb Bush showed his original answer on his brother’s war in Iraq was his real answer. He is now saying it’s time to declare war on ISIS and if that means American troops, then that means American troops. He offered up a list of actions, including a no-fly zone, which could, of course, mean a possible confrontation with Russian planes, but I didn’t notice any exit strategies.
Bush also said that the ISIS attack was a part of an “organized attempt to destroy Western civilization.” Of course, ISIS has no ability to destroy Western civilization. It has the ability, sadly, to (apparently) blow up a Russian plane, ignite killing bombs in Beirut, and attack Parisians in nightclubs and restaurants.
Marco Rubio, meanwhile, took us back to pre-Iraq-war days and called the battle with ISIS a “clash of civilizations.” In The Atlantic, Peter Beinart takes apart that idea. ISIS, he points out, is not a civilization, but rather a self-declared and unrecognized state in parts of Iraq and Syria. You can extend the argument and say the war is against radical jihadists or radical Islamists – take your choice if you must — but they are not civilizations either.
Rubio goes on to make the old argument that they “hate us because of our values.” He says the attacks on the West are about freedom of speech and tolerance and diversity and women driving cars. He doesn’t say, Beinart points out again, why ISIS would then blow up a Russian plane and why it would be at war, say, against undemocratic Syria.
None of this is to say that there isn’t real urgency in taking on ISIS. The urgency may lead to real negotiations between the U.S. and Russia on how to end the Syrian civil war. France will take a leading role. The coalition, meantime, will grow. And the next president will almost certainly be faced with what to do next.
Mike Littwin writes for The Colorado Independent (www.coloradoindependent.com).
The cannot be ‘rules of engagement’ in war. Isis members run into cities when attacks occur, or they hear there will be a bombing. 50 to 60 million civilians died in WWII, you read that correctly. Civilians will be lost, but isis will be defeated, as was Germany and Japan. You ‘hand wringers’ will have to get used to being safe at all costs, to wipe out evil from this world.
Yeah you “hand wringers”. gooey guy is ready to go. Suit him up and ship him out. gooey’ll clean up this mess. We need the gooey types to clean the latrines.
Written just like other Hillary protectors. When will you quit? Or is that too much to ask? You don’t add anything, other than being a smear merchant. Do you giggle a lot when you go to bed after writing such drivel?
Frank’s increasing agitation is indicative of the “angry white man” stereotype who live and breath the grand old fart’s party line.
“Hillary protector”. Now that’s one for the ages.
This article is correct about one issue, ‘the next president will have to decide what to do next’, very true, because this muslim-like president won’t do a thing, why, he can’t even say who they are, and we all know the answer.
USA leaders could start by reading Glenn Beck book “It is about Islam”. How much of this is valid, or true, I do not know. But page 68, mid page, THE TWENTY YEAR PLAN (2000 – 2020) AND JIHADISTS-ISIS- ALL THE TERRORIST GROUPS, CONSIDER PHASE 1 THRU 5 ARE ALL ON SCHEDULE. Combine that with watching U-Tube video of the migrant movement in Europe – and see the crime, home invasions, anger, and realize why razor wire fences, closed borders, and deportations are happening, lead to one conclusion.
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We are seeing attacks in all countries, similar to what brought on the 7 crusades in Europe all those centuries ago. When Christians fought wars, killing Muslims to stop the spread of Islam then. And there were no innocent victims, though millions were killed. Just as in WW TWO over all of Europe. When the war is between religion, and a cult-religion-political ideal ology, that knows no limits, or exercises no limits, it has to be all out war. Hickenlooper, Obama, and all our other so-called, elected leaders will not admit what this really is. ——————
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But look for the 28 minute video on U-tube. Easy to find, if you can stand to watch raw passions, and attacks on all other religions.
Glen Beck or Bill O’Reilly? Pick your poison! Both of these noisemakers are second rate carnival barkers and nothing more. But they appeal to some, like Frank for instance.
Watch the video and read the dam book. If ISIS believes it has completed phase 1 through 5, and next two will be completed by 2020, you will need your gun, with lots of ammo. Crusades in 21st Century lot different then centuries ago. MSM is not telling you of the 7 girl little girl riding her bicycle in park, and being raped by whole bunch of Pakistani’s. Video shows it. Also what million plus of angry men look like. Keep on bad mouthing and smearing folks. Shiria law will soon quiet you down, at all ages. And also shows them demanding money, refusing food and water and stealing children to appeal to emotions.
Okay to be a loud mouth yourself, but you deny that 1st amendment right to others, and make fun of them, including me. So when you face some of those dudes (and many are already here (domestic and foreign) see how loud you can be then.
Get some rest frank. The First Amendment will still be here if and when you might possibly wake up.
Toodle ooh big guy!
When you wake up, take a look at what happened in France and Belgium area with refugees. Really wiped out whole building, and sounded like a war zone. I suspect I was up before you this morning (5:00 AM, and working on veterans issues, for our group get together. While you waste your time attacking me, I am still productive, and work for veterans, retirees, and our families. Who are you helping with your short attacks on others? The kids in schools are not the only ones causing problems in todays world.
We still have old fools going to outside events, drinking, and falling asleep while driving home. Just as those who are confused and get on freeways and drive wrong way for head on collisions. So be careful where you go to sleep, and then wake up. May be too late.
I’m in awe! Frank is the epitome of perfection. Up at 5 am. Off to the old fools get together. Still productive and still whining about kids in schools. Simply stunning!