Well, no, of course they did not write that. But, reading between the lines in this Editorial Board piece we can see that Obama was a failure while Trump has done a good job in knocking down ISIS. Of course, they attempt to put the burden on Trump, while, if we look back to 2009-2012, they were happy with the “inherited problem” meme
The liberation of Raqqa, Syria, the Islamic State’s final stronghold, has severely weakened the group as a military threat. But as its members slink off the battlefield to melt into local populations or infiltrate nations in Europe, Africa and around the world, they leave a region in ruins and an almost impossible challenge for the United States.
Over four gruesome years, ISIS swallowed up large areas of Iraq and Syria, taking control of oil fields and using beheadings, rapes and other cruelties to terrorize populations. Now, the degradation of the group has allowed Iran, Russia and others to scramble for advantage. The anti-ISIS coalition is fracturing, reviving divisions and creating conditions that could allow the extremists to regroup. And American leaders seem to have no clear plan to manage this instability or to capitalize on their military success.
ISIS swallowed up those areas while Obama was President. The main degradation occurred in spite of Obama and due to Trump since he took office. Really, Obama isn’t even mentioned in this piece. Despite emboldening ISIS with his wishy washyness and foolish Libyan adventure.
One big concern is the semiautonomous region of Kurdistan, which until recently was Iraq’s anchor. Today its future, and that of a unified Iraq, is in doubt. That’s because of an independence referendum in September that was pushed through by Masoud Barzani, then the Kurdish leader, despite warnings from Iraq’s central government, Turkey, Iran and the United States — the Kurds’ main ally — that the vote could lead to Iraq’s dissolution, undermine the anti-ISIS fight and widen divisions even among Kurdish factions.
Interesting. The NYTEB seems against liberation. Well, they do provide some reasoning along pragmatic lines. We also learn that Sec State Rex Tillerson and his people have done a great job in soothing the tensions between Iraq and the Kurds. Must have hurt to admit that. We also learn of the vastly greater power and influence that Iran and Russia grew in the region, which of course they blame mostly on the Iraq war, forgetting Obama’s fecklessness when it came to Syria and Iraq.
Given Mr. Trump’s America First vision, it is unclear how he will respond to such complex challenges. His distaste for nation building, with its implication of a long-term commitment, is understandable. The United States has tried nation building in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places with little success and should not assume the main burden now. But leaving Iraq and Syria without a recovery plan — one that encompasses reconstruction, security and improved governance — will create conditions for ISIS’s return.
Seems like some blamestorming (lower case b) towards Trump, without mentioning the mess he inherited from Obama. Weird, right?
Having decimated ISIS, the United States and its partners in the anti-ISIS campaign must turn to finding and constraining the militants who have dispersed from their failed caliphate and persuading the Mideast’s overwhelmingly youthful population that the future lies not with extremists but with people who free them to dream and achieve.
Do you know what would have helped? Supporting the Iranian Green Revolution and the Arab Spring. It is interesting that the NYTEB mentions the growing problem of Islamic extremists without actually mentioning, you know, Islam. Also interesting, they offer no ideas or solutions for both this issue and for Iraq and Syria, just some blathering.
It would have been nice had the NYTEB given Trump and his team some actual kudos for what they’ve done to ISIS after Obama sat back and watched the “JV team” rise.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Yet, ISIS keeps attacking us in the US under tRump’s “watch”. Also, white nationalist terrorists are killing innocent Americans, not to mention random angry white men shooting hundreds, killing 58. Heckuva job, tRumpy… heckuva job.
Sorry, J-those killings have absolutely nothing to do with the President. Have to go now-due back on earth….
“Angry white men shooting hundreds…†Thanks for the opening, J. As long as you’re bringing race into it, consider the fact that black men, who comprise about 6.5% of the population, commit over 50%of all homicides in the US. Breaking it down further, consider the fact most of these killings are done by young black men and you have about 3% of the population committing over half of all homicides. Thanks again!
And over half of all homicide victims are Black, mostly men. Do you have a point?
Why do angry white men commit most of the mass shootings in America?
j,
Let me know if you’ve heard this one before… tRump, the GOP and the NRA walk into a church with an AR-15 and shoot and kill 26 innocents.
The only way to stop a bad guy with an AR-15 is a good guy with an AR-15. Maybe we need to ban white men with assault weapons.
White terrorists (led by their Terrorist-in-Chief, tRump) are shooting up America.
Americans may soon tire of conservative “thoughts and prayers” for women and children victims of conservative policy.
Who are we kidding? We will do nothing. Dozens killed every few weeks by domestic terrorists is a small price to pay for the freedom to be “play soldiers”.
Let me know if you’ve heard this one before… shooter had a dishonorable discharge from the military as well as domestic violence charges against him. Shooter could not legally possess a firearm of any type. There are more firearms of of the type used by the shooter than there are police in the US in ~120 million households spread over millions of acres. What laws do you propose to eliminate or reduce this issue?
How about enforcing the laws we have?
That is actually a fine idea. Look up the stats on prosecution rates for prohibited person with guns – it’s almost never pursued. Then look up the demographics on the offenders of said statutes, draw your own conclusions as to why they almost never pursue it.
We will take your word for it. The reality is that we will do absolutely nothing. It’s not worth discussing. We just need to let our children realize that they can get shot to death in school or church.
Do you really think the law keeping firearms out of the hands of a crazy felon was properly enforced? Conservatives would stop him from voting but not limit his access to military grade weapons.
Anyway, these are wasted words. We will do nothing and innocents will continue to die. It’s the price we pay for our freedoms.
The reality is that there is nothing we will do in modern America to stop these terrorist attacks. We should just stop worrying about them and deal with issues we can resolve.