Fight by flight: What role should the west play in combating ISIS?

ISIS and their crimes against humanity are now common knowledge. The United States’ secretary of State John Kerry gave an address Thursday morning detailing The U.S. stance on the issue. He notes that “Daesh (ISIS) is genocidal by what it says, what it believes and what it does.”. Even before this news cast, in 2014 he decried the systematic abuse of Yazidi women through their enslavement, auction rape and destruction of their communities. He moved then to include Christians, Shia Muslims and other ethnic groups that suffered similar fates. The most poignant statement of all that was offered by Kerry was “Without our intervention, those people would have been slaughtered”. This is in reference to the bombing of strategic locations held by ISIS, used to disrupt their power network.

What is Kerry’s plan for next steps is an important question to ask. In the same Thursday morning address he clears the name of the U.S. of being a judge in any capacity, but offers supporting rhetoric for an independent court or tribunal that will carry out investigations regarding the atrocities committed, and those that continue today. This appears to me as a relatively moderate stance to what we’ve seen in the past on this particular issue, and U.S. foreign policy in general – especially in this region. The support for the bombing, however, must not be overlooked, as that details a definitive stance on the issue, meaning that bombing run probably aren’t on the top of the priority list, but it certainly exists as an option.

Not everyone is content with Kerry’s perceived passivity, or the desire for a political/diplomatic resolution. Journalist Kathy Gilsinan of the Atlantic has created a map of what many of the bombings have done to some of the landholdings of ISIS. She doesn’t support bombing or attacks outright, but she acknowledges the benefit it has provided rebel groups opposing ISIS in combat against them.

While they key to ‘defeating’ ISIS may not be as clear cut as the desire to do so, having learned individuals weigh in with speculators offers an avenue for many to voice their concerns – expert or not.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/17/politics/us-iraq-syria-genocide/index.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/09/isis-territory-map-us-campaign/404776/