Obama’s Iraq-Syria Dilemma: No Force Now on the Ground Can Beat ISIS

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The gap between rhetoric and action was on vivid display this weekend with pinprick U.S. strikes in northern Iraq. “Bombing raids could significantly weaken IS but they are insufficient currently,” says Jonathan Schanzer, a Mideast analyst with the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He says a “surge in sorties” is needed to meet even the limited administration goal of reining in the jihadists.

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Mideast expert Schanzer also sees the fight required as a huge undertaking. Even airstrikes extended across Iraq and deep into Syria will not be sufficient without a more comprehensive approach that includes sanctioning jihadist financiers in the Gulf and targeting the Islamic State’s financial and logistical networks in Turkey.

“However, it is still unclear to me if the U.S. and its allies are prepared to undertake such a comprehensive approach,” he says. “It would create diplomatic tensions with our allies, like Qatar, Turkey and Kuwait. It would also mean entering into the Syrian theater. These are two things the Obama administration has sought to avoid at all costs.”

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