Islamic State areas of control in Syria and Iraq
VOA: Experts: Bullets, Bombs, Optimism Not Enough to Destroy Islamic State
WASHINGTON—Fear of Islamic State terror attacks on American and European soil has pushed the U.S., Britain and Germany to expand and intensify their military actions and airstrikes against the extremists.
But more bombs, while important, are not going to be enough to defeat Islamic State, said Barry Pavel, Director of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security.
“Hitting more targets, that’s a good thing,” Pavel acknowledged. “And the only way to do that is to increase the tempo of military operations. Every little bit helps.”
WNU Editor: I think everyone knows what needs to be done .... a deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops (maybe a million), trillions of dollars, an occupation as hard and as strict (if not stricter) as it was in Germany after the Second World War, and a presence that will remain in the Middle East for decades. But there is no political or public will for such a course of action .... hence this debate continues on "what needs to be done" .... which all comes down to on "how can we best contain the situation".
Update: The pretend war: why bombing Isil won't solve the problem: The deployment of our military might in Syria will exacerbate regional disorder – and it will solve nothing (Andrew J. Bacevich, Spectator).
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