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What Obama Faces in a Campaign Against ISIS What Obama Faces in a Campaign Against ISIS
(34 minutes later)
President Obama will use a prime-time address on Wednesday evening to explain to Americans his strategy for confronting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Sunni militant group. Here is a look at some of the questions that may be addressed in the speech.President Obama will use a prime-time address on Wednesday evening to explain to Americans his strategy for confronting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Sunni militant group. Here is a look at some of the questions that may be addressed in the speech.
Q. How is the action President Obama will propose this evening to counter ISIS different from the counterterrorism campaign against Al Qaeda?Q. How is the action President Obama will propose this evening to counter ISIS different from the counterterrorism campaign against Al Qaeda?
A. Mr. Obama is expected to describe a much broader undertaking that would go well beyond targeted drone strikes against suspected terrorist leaders, as he has done against Al Qaeda and its affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. This will be a multiphase, multifaceted campaign that involves airstrikes and ground forces against ISIS, drawing from a broad coalition of partners, including NATO allies and Arab neighbors of Syria.A. Mr. Obama is expected to describe a much broader undertaking that would go well beyond targeted drone strikes against suspected terrorist leaders, as he has done against Al Qaeda and its affiliates in Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. This will be a multiphase, multifaceted campaign that involves airstrikes and ground forces against ISIS, drawing from a broad coalition of partners, including NATO allies and Arab neighbors of Syria.
Q. Why does the president believe the threat from ISIS warrants a response of this magnitude?Q. Why does the president believe the threat from ISIS warrants a response of this magnitude?
A. The militants have seized a broad swath of territory in Syria and Iraq, giving it access to cash, weapons stockpiles and oil reserves. Its effort to establish an Islamic caliphate threatens to deeply destabilize the region. It has targeted Americans, beheading two journalists, James Foley and Steven J. Sotloff. And it is drawing hundreds of foreign fighters from Western Europe and even the United States, raising fears that they could return to their home countries and carry out terrorist attacks, though ISIS has never issued a direct threat against the United States. A. The militants have seized a broad swath of territory in Syria and Iraq, giving it access to cash, weapons stockpiles and oil reserves. Its effort to establish an Islamic caliphate threatens to deeply destabilize the region. It has targeted Americans, beheading two journalists, James Foley and Steven J. Sotloff. And it is drawing hundreds of foreign fighters from Western Europe and even the United States, raising fears that they could return to their home countries and carry out terrorist attacks, though there are questions about how direct a threat ISIS poses to the United States.
Q. What regional partners are crucial to the effort, and what are the obstacles to their participation?Q. What regional partners are crucial to the effort, and what are the obstacles to their participation?
A. Mr. Obama is marshaling a coalition that includes Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Canada, Australia, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey’s involvement is critical because it can provide military bases and close off transit points for foreign fighters, while Saudi Arabia is a key source of funding for Syrian rebels. But Turkey fears jeopardizing 49 Turkish hostages held by ISIS in Iraq, while Saudi Arabia worries about a backlash from extremists in its own Sunni population.A. Mr. Obama is marshaling a coalition that includes Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, Canada, Australia, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey’s involvement is critical because it can provide military bases and close off transit points for foreign fighters, while Saudi Arabia is a key source of funding for Syrian rebels. But Turkey fears jeopardizing 49 Turkish hostages held by ISIS in Iraq, while Saudi Arabia worries about a backlash from extremists in its own Sunni population.
Q. What options do the United States and its partners have to target ISIS, beyond airstrikes?Q. What options do the United States and its partners have to target ISIS, beyond airstrikes?
A. The campaign Mr. Obama is set to announce will include military, diplomatic and even ideological components. It will aim to reinvigorate Syria’s moderate opposition to turn it into a fighting force capable of seizing and holding ISIS territory, after airstrikes by the United States and its partners. In Iraq, the goal is to win over disaffected Sunni tribal leaders to fight ISIS — a strategy that echoes the Sunni Awakening during the Iraq war, which turned insurgents into allies. Crucial to that effort is the new government in Iraq and its success in reaching out to Sunnis. The administration also hopes to counter the narrative that ISIS has propagated, a difficult task given its deft use of social media and the allure of jihadi messages in the Arab world.A. The campaign Mr. Obama is set to announce will include military, diplomatic and even ideological components. It will aim to reinvigorate Syria’s moderate opposition to turn it into a fighting force capable of seizing and holding ISIS territory, after airstrikes by the United States and its partners. In Iraq, the goal is to win over disaffected Sunni tribal leaders to fight ISIS — a strategy that echoes the Sunni Awakening during the Iraq war, which turned insurgents into allies. Crucial to that effort is the new government in Iraq and its success in reaching out to Sunnis. The administration also hopes to counter the narrative that ISIS has propagated, a difficult task given its deft use of social media and the allure of jihadi messages in the Arab world.
Q. Does the president plan to seek congressional authorization for military action, and if not, why not?Q. Does the president plan to seek congressional authorization for military action, and if not, why not?
A. Mr. Obama has told congressional leaders that he has the authority to order an expanded military campaign, but that he would welcome some “buy-in” from Congress. Lawmakers are divided about voting on military action, especially before the midterm elections, with some Democrats complaining of a rush to war. Senate Democratic leaders are preparing legislation to expressly authorize the American military to train foreign troops, and while no money would be attached to the measure, aides said a request for around $500 million might come later this fall.A. Mr. Obama has told congressional leaders that he has the authority to order an expanded military campaign, but that he would welcome some “buy-in” from Congress. Lawmakers are divided about voting on military action, especially before the midterm elections, with some Democrats complaining of a rush to war. Senate Democratic leaders are preparing legislation to expressly authorize the American military to train foreign troops, and while no money would be attached to the measure, aides said a request for around $500 million might come later this fall.
Q. Does the battle against ISIS have the potential to reshape traditional alliances and rivalries in the Middle East?Q. Does the battle against ISIS have the potential to reshape traditional alliances and rivalries in the Middle East?
A. The murderous march of the militants across Syria and Iraq — its effort to establish a cross-border caliphate, mass killings, videotaped beheadings and ethnic cleansing — has upended the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East and turned ISIS into a nemesis for virtually every country in the region. Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, whose government helped give ISIS a foothold in Syria, is now calling for the West to join his nation in a common battle against ISIS. Iran is backing Shiite militias to hold off the militants in Iraq. Officials from Iran and Saudi Arabia, Shiite and Sunni archrivals, met recently to discuss ISIS. It remains uncertain whether these strange partnerships will survive the immediate threat of the militants and lay the groundwork for a broader realignment.A. The murderous march of the militants across Syria and Iraq — its effort to establish a cross-border caliphate, mass killings, videotaped beheadings and ethnic cleansing — has upended the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East and turned ISIS into a nemesis for virtually every country in the region. Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, whose government helped give ISIS a foothold in Syria, is now calling for the West to join his nation in a common battle against ISIS. Iran is backing Shiite militias to hold off the militants in Iraq. Officials from Iran and Saudi Arabia, Shiite and Sunni archrivals, met recently to discuss ISIS. It remains uncertain whether these strange partnerships will survive the immediate threat of the militants and lay the groundwork for a broader realignment.