War On Terror: Why ISIS Can’t Be Stopped

ISIS, the terrorist group that is currently scaring the world with its rampant acts of terrorism, public beheadings, and murder of non-Muslims, seems to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. With each beheading, masked executioners callout President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron, demanding that all military action be halted. Daily news reports mention that ISIS, or ISIL, has infiltrated the United States and Mexico, as explained by The Inquisitr, in hopes of bringing its reign of terror to arguably its biggest target. And the murder and beheadings continue with no end in sight.

The Obama administration has answered the acts of terror with airstrikes in Syria and Iraq in hopes of crippling ISIS, but the loss of a few targets is nothing when compared to the nameless and countless members of an organization bent on the murder of citizens of the free world, including Jews and Christians. In fact, Obama goes in front of cameras and makes declarations that are ridiculed by the terrorist group, as reported by the New York Times.

Unfortunately, history seems to be on the side of ISIS and that doesn’t bode well for the efforts in bringing them down. ISIS was born from the ashes of the US occupation of Iraq that began with the invasion in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein. The US argued that by overthrowing Saddam, the Iraqi people would consider the invaders heroes and liberators. No one in the Bush Administration thought to look at history to see how well this would work out. The Iraqi people, mostly Sunnis, did not ask for Saddam Hussein to be removed, tried, and eventually executed. Sure, there were some that wanted it, but in a sovereign nation of millions, the wants a few do not outweigh the wishes of the many.

The US forces occupied Iraq for almost decade, and the Iraqi people fought back. News in the US called them insurgents and terrorists, but in reality, these were people trying to oust invaders from their land. Many US servicemen and women died in “Operation: Enduring Freedom” and when the US pulled its last troops out of the region in 2011, the vacuum left needed to be filled. The puppet government that the US hoped would lead to cheaper oil was quickly ousted, whether by ballot or by force. Cities that were captured by US troops were quickly retaken by an upstart group who called themselves ISIS or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The biggest mistake was that the US thought these people wanted to be free and part of a democracy, but in fact, they did not.

And that brings us to today. History shows that whenever you have a regime change, a revolution is sure to follow. It happened in the United States in 1776, it happened in France in 1789 and again in 1793 after Louis XVI was beheaded. And it has happened all throughout Latin America during the rise of Communism in the mid-twentieth century. The people will rise up and choose the direction they want to go in, and oftentimes, that rising is not democratic. Look at Cuba.

The greatest mistake made in Iraq was thinking that it wouldn’t happen there. And now, ISIS is stronger than ever and grows stronger each day. With each strategic military hit, they grow stronger as Iraqis and Syrians band together to oust the invaders. The United States and her allies have created ISIS, or at least the need for an ISIS to exist. And this is why they cannot be defeated.

The second biggest mistake made in regards to terrorism in a post-9/11 world is that you can’t fight an idea. Terrorism is not a tangible thing. It cannot be overcome with might, as with each hit it takes, it grows stronger, larger, and definitely more dangerous. Fighting a “war on terror” is like fighting a “war on love.” You cannot hope to kill something that exists in the hearts and minds of those fighting the battles. This is something the Catholic Church learned during the Crusades. You cannot help people that do not want to be helped. Anything else is outright subjugation, and human beings, even barbaric humans like the ISIS executioners, will fight subjugation to the death.

The US and her allies can bomb the desert all they want. They can even put boots back on the ground, as previously reported by The Inquisitr, even if recent polls show that Americans are against that notion, but the killings will not end. What is worse is arming Syrian rebels to help fight. By doing so, the cycle of violence will begin again and more innocent people will lose their lives.

Diplomacy will not work either, as the damage has already been done. The US invaded Iraq and tried to flex its muscle in a region that didn’t want any more muscles flexed, and now we are all paying the price. And as ISIS grows each day, and cells pop up in places like West Virginia–of all places–the attacks and beheadings won’t just be filmed and posted online. They’ll be happening down the street from you and broadcast on the nightly news.

The US and her allies created ISIS and the US and her allies will pay the price. No amount of bombing or military action can stop an enemy that exists everywhere and nowhere at the same time. There are supporters of ISIS reading this right now. And they may be right next door to you. There is no easy solution to ISIS and no end to the violence and beheadings in the foreseeable future. Under the world’s current political climate, ISIS will continue, and grow stronger, and we are all but powerless to stop it.

[Images courtesy of Reuters/Muzaffer Salman; Google]