Paris attacks may lead to US military anti-IS escalation

[rooster59]

Paris attacks may lead to US military anti-IS escalation

ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Paris terrorist attacks seem likely to compel President Barack Obama to consider military escalation against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. But that probably will not mean dramatic moves like launching a U.S. or international ground offensive or accelerating aerial bombing in hopes of eliminating the global threat of violent extremism.

"You aren't going to bomb ISIS back to the Stone Age," Anthony Cordesman, a longtime Middle East analyst, said Saturday.

Cordesman and other American defense analysts said Obama may deepen U.S. involvement incrementally by, for example, embedding U.S. military advisers closer to the front lines with Iraqi forces and with anti-IS fighters in Syria. But that and similar moves to intensify U.S. support for local forces is unlikely to produce quick results.

As Cordesman sees it, years of tragic terrorist attacks like Paris are almost inevitable, and there are no near-term solutions.

Stephen Biddle, a George Washington University professor of international affairs, said the Paris attack may create a political imperative to do more militarily against IS, but he thinks it would be a mistake to launch a U.S. ground war.

"To defeat ISIL decisively would require hundreds of thousands of Western ground troops, but nobody thinks the ISIL threat warrants that scale of commitment, and in fact it doesn't," Biddle said.

At the core of the U.S. strategy in Iraq is a belief that unless local forces are empowered to retake and secure their own territory, any military gains the U.S. could make by leading the charge would be short-lived. In Syria, Obama had been unwilling to get more involved in a civil war, although he recently agreed to send a few dozen special operations forces.

One new wrinkle since Friday's attacks in Paris is the prospect of France asking its NATO allies to come to its aid, invoking the 28 members' treaty obligation to consider an armed attack on one member as an attack against them all. That has happened only once in NATO's 66-year history: in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the U.S.

James Stavridis, the retired Navy admiral who served as NATO's top commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013, said NATO should play a military role now.

"NATO's actions need to be deliberate, meaningful and at a significant scale," Stavridis said by email, adding that consultations among the allies should begin shortly.

Stavridis, who is dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said NATO special forces could be called on in Iraq and Syria as aircraft spotters and as trainers of anti-IS fighters. They also could gather intelligence and conduct raids, he said. The alliance should welcome nonmember participants, including Russia, he said.

"Soft power and playing the long game matter in the Middle East, but there is a time for the ruthless application of hard power," Stavridis said. "This is that time, and NATO should respond militarily against the Islamic State with vigor.

Obama began U.S. bombing in Iraq and Syria, along with the deployment of military advisers to Iraq, more than a year ago. And although thousands of IS fighters have been killed, the U.S.-led coalition campaign has had only limited successes.

Overall the extremists remain in control of about a third of Iraq and Syria. IS continues to impose its unforgiving brand of radical Islam and carry out atrocities against minority groups, including sexual enslavement of women.

Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank, said the Obama administration almost certainly will consider new ways to accelerate its military campaign.

Fontaine, a former foreign policy adviser to Republican Sen. John McCain, said Obama might opt for at least two changes in Iraq that he has resisted thus far: embedding U.S. military advisers in Iraqi army units closer to the front lines, and deploying forward air controllers on the battlefield to improve the effectiveness of U.S. airstrikes.

He saw little chance, however, of the U.S. undertaking a ground invasion of Syria.

"I wouldn't put that in the realistic category," he said.

Biddle, the George Washington University professor, said he expects a limited escalation from the U.S. and its allies, but he sees no options that would make a decisive military difference.

"Elected officials feel obligated to do something when bad news emerges from ISIL," he said. "So they escalate a bit. Because the escalation falls far short of what's needed to defeat ISIL, the escalation doesn't solve the problem, and so there's more bad news of some kind a few months later and the cycle repeats. This could go on a long time. My guess is that the Paris attacks will also follow this pattern."

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-11-15

[craigt3365]

One less terrorist to worry about:

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/14/politics/airstrike-libya-isis-leader-paris-attacks/index.html

The U.S. military on Friday killed the senior ISIS leader in Libya, the Pentagon said.

Abu Nabil, an Iraqi national and longtime al Qaeda operative, was taken out in an airstrike authorized and initiated prior to the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday night, said Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook.

"While not the first U.S. strike against terrorists in Libya, this is the first U.S. strike against an ISIL leader in Libya and it demonstrates we will go after ISIL leaders wherever they operate," Cook said.

[xerostar]

"You aren't going to bomb ISIS back into the Stone Age .."

LOL ... they're already there, with the rest of Islam.

Edited November 15, 2015 by xerostar

[roo860]

It's gotta be "boots on the ground". Bombing has limited success, these vermin have to be annihilated.

[Berty100]

"To defeat ISIL decisively would require hundreds of thousands of Western ground troops, but nobody thinks the ISIL threat warrants that scale of commitment, and in fact it doesn't," Biddle said.

So an organisation that terrorizes the entire world doesn't warrant that scale of commitment?

[craigt3365]

"To defeat ISIL decisively would require hundreds of thousands of Western ground troops, but nobody thinks the ISIL threat warrants that scale of commitment, and in fact it doesn't," Biddle said.

So an organisation that terrorizes the entire world doesn't warrant that scale of commitment?

There are alternatives. But it requires the world powers to cooperate. Something that so far has been impossible to achieve. For a variety of reasons.

If no weapons weren't shipped to Syria, it wouldn't be as much of a problem now.

[DaddyWarbucks]

It's gotta be "boots on the ground". Bombing has limited success, these vermin have to be annihilated.

Bombing has limited success in the Middle East - but so do "boots on the ground."

Both these tactics have been conspicuous failures since 9/11.

They don't eliminate terrorists, they create more.

[jacky54]

It's gotta be "boots on the ground". Bombing has limited success, these vermin have to be annihilated.

Bombing has limited success in the Middle East - but so do "boots on the ground."

Both these tactics have been conspicuous failures since 9/11.

They don't eliminate terrorists, they create more.

Depends how big the bombs are, time to take the gloves off and do the job properly, they want martyrdom anyway~

[tomacht8]

One new wrinkle since Friday's attacks in Paris is the prospect of France asking its NATO allies to come to its aid, invoking the 28 members' treaty obligation to consider an armed attack on one member as an attack against them all. That has happened only once in NATO's 66-year history: in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the U.S.

Hope they get there act together of eliminating this global threat of violent extremism.
The international community must not tolerate, that the world is terrorized by a gang of murderers.

[sitti]

All this aerial bombings, they always kill a lot more innocent civilians than the real bad guys. Of course they never talk about it until someone within the government or military leaks the info to media.

[godden]

I don't see the mad mulla in the white house doing much to his own.

[Usernames]

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Usernames

[Smithson]

As bad and tragic as it is, ISIS is not threatening the entire world. How many ppl die on Thai roads daily? Surely that's a greater danger for us?

On CNN they are talking about ISIS central, giving the impression that there is a highly organized group. This was not the case with Al Queda. I doubt it's the case with ISIS.

Invading Afghanistan did not eliminate Al Queda, invading Syria will not stop ISIS.

[dageurreotype]

Gaddafi and Hussein must be laughing their heads off. No pun intended.

[JakeSully]

I don't see the mad mulla in the white house doing much to his own.

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

As usual the Right Wing is out in force... creating hate..

There is zero difference between white european right wingers and islamic right wingers. Both will gladly purge anyone and everyone but themselves.

[Ulysses G.]

 

I don't see the mad mulla in the white house doing much to his own.

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

As usual the Right Wing is out in force... creating hate..

There is zero difference between white european right wingers and islamic right wingers. Both will gladly purge anyone and everyone but themselves.

Nonsense. There is a BIG difference between them. European right wingers are not blowing themselves up or targeting women and children for murder. That is almost always radical Islam.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[dageurreotype]

I don't see the mad mulla in the white house doing much to his own.

You talking about that good God fearing Christian Dubya? You remember, the one who started all this?

[Seastallion]

 

I don't see the mad mulla in the white house doing much to his own.

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

As usual the Right Wing is out in force... creating hate..

There is zero difference between white european right wingers and islamic right wingers. Both will gladly purge anyone and everyone but themselves.

Nonsense. There is a BIG difference between them. European right wingers are not blowing themselves up or targeting women and children for murder. That is almost always radical Islam.

That's right. They sit in a nice cozy office remotely controlling a drone to bomb wedding parties.

BIG difference.

[Pakboong]

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

Hitler said something very similar.

[Usernames]

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

Hitler said something very similar.

Oh, so you said the word, "Hitler" and now we're all supposed to cower and beg for forgiveness and allow fifth columns to continue to ravage Western civilization? No, don't thinks so. FDR also said similar things in FREEING the world from Hitler and Tojo and, in his time, so did Wilson. The one time US ambassador to Germany, James W. Gerard said: "The Foreign Minister of Germany once said to me 'your country does not dare do anything against Germany, because we have in your country five hundred thousand Germans reservists [emigrants] who will rise in arms against your government if you dare to make a move against Germany.' Well, I told him that that might be so, but that we had five hundred thousand – and one – lamp posts in this country, and that that was where the reservists would be hanging the day after they tried to rise."

[iBike]

"To defeat ISIL decisively would require hundreds of thousands of Western ground troops, but nobody thinks the ISIL threat warrants that scale of commitment, and in fact it doesn't," Biddle said.

So an organisation that terrorizes the entire world doesn't warrant that scale of commitment?

I thought you meant Uncle Sam when I first read this!

[Steely Dan]

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

Hitler said something very similar.

Nice try, and how about a list of Jewish terrorist attacks in 1930's Europe?

[Rancid]

No doubt this was just what was needed to get the public behind an escalation in Syria. Even Australia considering sending troops. Hopefully it doesn't all get out of control.

Tragedy for the French. I notice on Facebook many avatars in tricolor in support, zero comment or interest though on the Russian plane where ever more died, hmm.

[DrTuner]

France is a permanent member of the UN security council, mostly for historical reasons, but it means they have a vote with some weight behind it. Security council is able to pass resolutions involving considerable use of military force, in other words, if they say so, a large amount of excrement will be hitting the blades. Personally I think ISIS has to be wiped from the face of the earth with whatever means necessary.

[DeaconJohn]

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

I knew it was just a matter of time before someone would play the anti-Semitism card.

[JetsetBkk]

I don't see the mad mulla in the white house doing much to his own.

Nothing will work as long as the nations of the West allow the enemy to live among them.

As usual the Right Wing is out in force... creating hate..

There is zero difference between white european right wingers and islamic right wingers. Both will gladly purge anyone and everyone but themselves.

"Two Syrian refugees who had recently entered Europe were among the seven terrorists who carried out the strikes across Paris."

- NY Post.

Still want those nice Syrian refugees living amongst us?

[uptheos]

France is a permanent member of the UN security council, mostly for historical reasons, but it means they have a vote with some weight behind it. Security council is able to pass resolutions involving considerable use of military force, in other words, if they say so, a large amount of excrement will be hitting the blades. Personally I think ISIS has to be wiped from the face of the earth with whatever means necessary.

I was just watching a documentary on Hiroshima and thought...........hmmm.

[Doc46]

Biddle said"To defeat ISIL decisively would require hundreds of thousands of Western ground troops, but nobody thinks the ISIL threat warrants that scale of commitment, and in fact it doesn't,",,, What in the name of Satan He thinks the world is dealing with.The world is dealing with the biggest War of Mankind One extreme Fanatic Religion mass is taking over the world (not trying) They are doing it.Get real save the World.,,,,

[dexterm]

France is a permanent member of the UN security council, mostly for historical reasons, but it means they have a vote with some weight behind it. Security council is able to pass resolutions involving considerable use of military force, in other words, if they say so, a large amount of excrement will be hitting the blades. Personally I think ISIS has to be wiped from the face of the earth with whatever means necessary.

I was just watching a documentary on Hiroshima and thought...........hmmm.

Well that speaks volumes about your character. You don't care if hundreds of thousands of innocent people are killed to achieve your purpose. Not much different from the thinking of the terrorists who perpetrated the atrocity in the OP.

[craigt3365]

Let's try to abide by forum rules. No discussion of genocide, etc.