On a world’s stage, United States’ foreign policy no longer takes an encore.
The nation’s handling of foreign affairs has lowered this country to a B-level production. President Obama is not giving this nation a strong sense of security.
Stay the course and everything will be fine has been the president’s policy since the summer of 2014. Either him, his advisers or both turned a blind eye in early 2014 and felt the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS ) was the junior varsity team.
Now, with the numerous suicide bombings in Paris Friday night that murdered 129 people, Obama continues to dither because his strategy against ISIS is weak; on the other hand, France considered the attacks an act of war and is pounding ISIS strongholds in Syria and conducting a dragnet in the country looking for more suspects.
The media — both cable and mainstream — as well as politicians on both sides of the aisle and former and current generals say the current policy looks weak. Just a day before the Paris massacre, Obama said ISIS is contained in Syria and Iraq.
If so, why are they running loose on the northern Africa continent? Why are operatives in the Sinai and assumed responsible for loading explosive devices aboard a Russian passenger jet that exploded and crashed into the peninsula. Militants have terrorized cities and villages across a handful of Middle East and northern African counties, while lone wolves have created their own mayhem.
Obama seems determined to stay the course, even with Sen. Diane Feinsten, D-California, one of the ranking members of the Intelligence Committee sharply disagreeing.
“I’ve never been more concerned,” Feinstein said. “I read the intelligence faithfully. ISIL (another name for ISIS) is not contained. ISIL is expanding.”
ISIS has warned the United States that it plans to strike Washington D.C. as one of its future targets, a concern Feinstein said she hoped the U.S. would work with allies to put together “coalitions and attack plans in more than one place at a given time.”
Even the president’s handpicked man to run the war-effort against ISIS has resigned out of frustration with the administration. Now, according to latest reports, the Pentagon is investigating allegations by dozens of intelligence analysts that their reporting on the United States’ war effort against ISIS was changed before top officials received it.
Unless the United States and a coalition force become serious about destroying ISIS, then this rogue “state” without borders will be around for a long time … and living in near a military installation, we know the fight against ISIS starts six miles southeast at Naval Air Station Fallon and the Naval Air Warfare Development Center.
The president as commander in the chief must act stronger and more aggressive in ensuring this country remains safe and that he works with allies to eradicate such an aggressive cancer.
LVN editorials appear on Wednesdays.