President Obama’s speech on Wednesday was a welcome reversal to his previous comments on foreign policy. He finally has acknowledged the threat that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria poses, and his response — to begin the process of taking down this so-called caliphate — is welcome news.
The president incorporated in his speech many of the elements I recently have called for and that I believe are necessary to achieve success.
First, it is now the president’s stated intention to pursue the Islamic State's forces wherever they are, rather than his previous policy of using moderate force only in Iraq and only to protect American facilities and personnel.
Obama now has paved the way for expanding our bombing campaign to include Islamic State bases in Syria. The wars in Vietnam, Korea and Serbia and our experience along theAfghanistan/Pakistan border have taught us the futility of trying to attack military forces that have safe-haven bases nearby. I believe Congress should consider legislation giving the president authority for this broader action.
This broader effort with broader purpose is an essential first step in defeating the Islamic State.
Secondly, I agree with the president that we must increase our support for the forces on the ground who are doing the fighting. However, Obama’s plan seemed to limit support for ground forces to the Iraqi Army and Free Syrian Army, neither of which has shown that it can stand up to the Islamic State.
Last month I called for much greater security assistance for our potential partners in the fight against the Islamic State, including the Kurds. The U.S. should move quickly to provide more arms, training and other requested assistance to Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces. We also need to find effective ways to support and directly arm the reliable, vetted Sunni tribes and Sunni leaders in Iraq who are essential partners in combating the Islamic State extremists who ultimately are Sunni Islam’s greatest threat.
Third, I believe the key to the effort to defeat the Islamic State is what the administration calls coalition-building and what I call coalition-leading. America cannot take on this fight alone, and I support those diplomatic efforts.
It is critical that moderate Muslim states play a significant role in this effort. Secretary John Kerry isin the region now to work on putting this coalition together. I remain concerned that Sunni states in the region will continue to leave the defense of regional security up to us. That has to stop. We must secure firm, detailed commitments from those quarters and only then will we be able to judge whether we are at last leading — or not.
However, we cannot just reach out and persuade. What is required is visionary and determined leadership. The region and the world are looking to us.
Although Obama has my full agreement and support in this effort, I admit to some serious doubts that the administration is up to this difficult task. In fact, what he has set out to do is arguably unprecedented.
War coalitions in the past have been assembled by us, led by us and existed to support America’s overwhelmingly dominant war fighting role. This time, the boots on the ground will not be ours, but those of others.
We have undertaken to assemble and lead a coalition of others doing the fighting. That clearly is a historically unique challenge, and we must wait to see the results and the details before we can confirm that the president’s words have real substance and credibility.
The American people need to understand that if we are to be successful, we are in for a long and protracted effort that will require a resolute commitment from the U.S. The region and the world are looking to America and to Obama for leadership.
Dan Coats is a U.S. Senator from Indiana and serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence.
President Obama’s speech on Wednesday was a welcome reversal to his previous comments on foreign policy. He finally has acknowledged the threat that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria poses, and his response — to begin the process of taking down this so-called caliphate — is welcome news.
The president incorporated in his speech many of the elements I recently have called for and that I believe are necessary to achieve success.
First, it is now the president’s stated intention to pursue the Islamic State's forces wherever they are, rather than his previous policy of using moderate force only in Iraq and only to protect American facilities and personnel.
Obama now has paved the way for expanding our bombing campaign to include Islamic State bases in Syria. The wars in Vietnam, Korea and Serbia and our experience along theAfghanistan/Pakistan border have taught us the futility of trying to attack military forces that have safe-haven bases nearby. I believe Congress should consider legislation giving the president authority for this broader action.
This broader effort with broader purpose is an essential first step in defeating the Islamic State.
Secondly, I agree with the president that we must increase our support for the forces on the ground who are doing the fighting. However, Obama’s plan seemed to limit support for ground forces to the Iraqi Army and Free Syrian Army, neither of which has shown that it can stand up to the Islamic State.
Last month I called for much greater security assistance for our potential partners in the fight against the Islamic State, including the Kurds. The U.S. should move quickly to provide more arms, training and other requested assistance to Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces. We also need to find effective ways to support and directly arm the reliable, vetted Sunni tribes and Sunni leaders in Iraq who are essential partners in combating the Islamic State extremists who ultimately are Sunni Islam’s greatest threat.
Third, I believe the key to the effort to defeat the Islamic State is what the administration calls coalition-building and what I call coalition-leading. America cannot take on this fight alone, and I support those diplomatic efforts.
It is critical that moderate Muslim states play a significant role in this effort. Secretary John Kerry isin the region now to work on putting this coalition together. I remain concerned that Sunni states in the region will continue to leave the defense of regional security up to us. That has to stop. We must secure firm, detailed commitments from those quarters and only then will we be able to judge whether we are at last leading — or not.
However, we cannot just reach out and persuade. What is required is visionary and determined leadership. The region and the world are looking to us.
Although Obama has my full agreement and support in this effort, I admit to some serious doubts that the administration is up to this difficult task. In fact, what he has set out to do is arguably unprecedented.
War coalitions in the past have been assembled by us, led by us and existed to support America’s overwhelmingly dominant war fighting role. This time, the boots on the ground will not be ours, but those of others.
We have undertaken to assemble and lead a coalition of others doing the fighting. That clearly is a historically unique challenge, and we must wait to see the results and the details before we can confirm that the president’s words have real substance and credibility.
The American people need to understand that if we are to be successful, we are in for a long and protracted effort that will require a resolute commitment from the U.S. The region and the world are looking to America and to Obama for leadership.
Dan Coats is a U.S. Senator from Indiana and serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence.