One of two things is going to happen in Iraq.
Very, very soon.
Either ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria) Jihadists will succeed in overrunning, conquering and carving up the country or they will not.
If they do succeed in overrunning, conquering and carving up the country they will have effectively established an Islamic state in the heart of the Middle East whose purpose is three-fold...to impose Sharia, Islamic law, on everyone in the region, to use the state to export bloodshed and terror to the West, especially the United States, and to confront the United States at home and abroad and conquer it in the name of Islam. ISIS wishes to establish an Islamic Caliphate in the remains of Iraq and from there to establish an Islamic Caliphate in the rest of the world. To do that it has to go through the U.S., to get the U.S. out of its way. It has been very open and upfront about what it wants to do and none of this is any secret at all.
Can it succeed in doing all three?
Yes it can.
Absolutely.
As of this writing, ISIS is very close to overrunning, conquering and carving up Iraq, very close indeed.
As of this writing the only thing that can stop it are air strikes by the American military.
Put another way, unless the American military launches air strikes and repels ISIS, ISIS will overrun, conquer and carve up Iraq and establish an Islamic state in its remains, a state that sees itself as the sworn, mortal enemy of the United States and a state that can and will cause untold damage to America and Americans and may even succeed in its goal of conquering America in the name of Islam.
Is ISIS overrunning, conquering and carving up Iraq a serious, serious threat to the national security of the United States, a serious, serious threat to the very existence of the United States?
Yes it is.
Absolutely.
Would an ISIS inspired and controlled Islamic state, an Islamic Caliphate, in the heart of the Middle East be catastrophic for America and Americans?
Yes it would.
Absolutely.
Should the United States launch air strikes against ISIS?
Yes it should.
Absolutely.
Very, very soon.
Like now.
That really is a no-brainer.
President Obama needs to stop dithering and equivocating and order the air strikes immediately, before it's too late.
ISIS needs to be stopped and stopped now and that’s the only way to do it.
Not only for America and Americans either by the way, but for the rest of the free world and for the millions of Arabs and other people who have suffered and are suffering unspeakable atrocities, unspeakable horrors, at its hands as well.
Jerry Philipson is a retired grandfather who has spent many years working in non-profit social service agencies in Canada and the United States. He holds dual Canadian and American citizenship and has been passionate about politics, civil liberties, freedom and democracy for virtually his whole life. He is particularly interested in the Middle East and America and believes that it is vital for people of good heart and good conscience to speak out against tyranny and dishonesty and to stand up and defend and protect Western values, principles and institutions.
