America's War Against The Islamic State Is The Next President's Problem

Image: Flickr/White House

Andrew J. Bowen, The National Interest: Why Islamic State Will Haunt Obama's Successor

America's counter-ISIL strategy going forward will not likely look drastically different than the present strategy, for all of its flaws.

While rhetorically stirring, President Obama’s primetime Sunday evening remarks, in which he vowed to “eliminate ISIL,” lacked any substantive policy shifts in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings. Instead, he sought to re-assure the U.S. public that his approach to fighting Islamic State (ISIL) is the best option, despite acknowledgements from the Pentagon that ISIL had not been “contained,” as Obama had prematurely stated hours before the Paris attacks.

WNU Editor: With only 13 months left in his Presidency, the present focus for the White House is to not find oneself embroiled in a major conflict in the Middle East .... that containment is the policy of choice. And as for the hard decisions on what to do in the war against the Islamic State .... again .... to leave it to the next President and let him or her suffer the consequences from it. Is this a wise choice .... probably not ... because groups like the Islamic State have a nasty habit of doing things that you may not want (or wish) to do.