WHEN WILL WE LEARN

Another terrorist attack on French soil.  84 dead.  Dozens injured.

The fourth such attack in the past 18 months.

Donald Trump weighs in.  He says if elected he will declare war on ISIS.  “This is war.  When will we learn?”  He reiterates his call to ban Muslims from terrorist nations from entering the United States.

Newt Gingrich doubles down.  “Western civilization is in a war…We should frankly test every person here who is of Muslim background and if they believe in Sharia (law) they should be deported…The act of visiting any website favoring ISIS or Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups should be guilty of a felony and they should go to jail…Every internet based source of terrorism should be shut down… If that is not possible we should destroy them with kinetic using various weapons starting with drones and frankly just killing them…Let me be very clear.  You have to monitor the mosques.  I mean if you are not prepared to monitor the mosques this whole thing is a joke.  Where do you think the primary source of recruitment is?  Where do you think the primary place of indoctrination is?

ISIS preaches that the western world hates all those who practice the Muslim faith.  ISIS has successfully recruited thousands of foreign fighters to their cause by spreading this falsehood.  By engaging in the type of inflammatory hate speech noted here; Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich and other likeminded individuals are providing living testimony to the ISIS ideology.

Every reasoned educator, historian, politician and cleric that I can find agrees that ISIS ideology is a version of the Koran that is denounced by the vast majority of peace loving followers of the Islamic faith.  ISIS is a radical minority.  But by engaging in the hate based rhetoric on display in this country we are effectively giving credence to ISIS teachings while alienating 1.4 billion peaceful Muslims.

For those unaware…alienating 1.4 billion Muslims is not a good idea…even for the world’s most powerful nation. 

The people of France have done their best to denigrate, marginalize and discriminate against the Muslim community living within their borders.

 At the risk of being crass, I have to ask:  “(After four horrific terrorist attacks on French soil in 18 months)…how’s that working out for you?”

There is no doubt that ISIS is losing ground militarily in Syria and Iraq.  There is also no doubt that as ISIS loses ground militarily they are ramping up their efforts to conduct or influence terrorist attacks in western countries.  Finally, there is no doubt in my mind that ISIS will strike inside our borders in a big way.

The question is…what we can do about it.

I have often criticized politicians who are quick to criticize policy but nothing in the way of substantive solutions.  So, if I were sitting in the White House Situation Room he is what I would offer to defeat ISIS.

There are two components to defeating ISIS: a military component and a public relations component.  Defeating ISIS by military force is relatively easy.  It is winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world that is the key component to keeping ISIS or similar terrorist groups from rising from the ashes.  We won the Iraq war.  We killed bin Laden.  But we didn’t kill the ideology.  And so from the ashes of Al Qaeda rose the ideology of ISIS.  Once ISIS is put to ground similar groups will rise in its place if we do not bury the notion that the western world hates all Muslims.

These components must be orchestrated with the deep understanding that the American people…the people who once again will bear the world’s burden of both blood and treasure…have no stomach for a another prolonged war in a far off land.

I would recommend that the President address the UN and propose the following:

The United States will deploy the full force of its military capabilities to destroy ISIS strongholds in Iraq, Syria and Yemen; including the destruction of all ISIS command and control facilities and munitions caches.  ISIS leadership will either be captured or killed.

The United States military will establish a no-fly zone in Syria.  It will set up and defend safe zones in Syria where refugees can find safe haven and Syrian refugees who have fled to foreign lands can return.

Once ISIS strongholds are destroyed, ISIS leadership removed and the safe zones established…the United States will provide a residual force to keep the peace for a TIME CERTAIN; after which all American forces will return home.

It will be the responsibility of the world community to step in to the vacuum that will remain once the US leaves.  The world community…led by Muslim leadership…will assume responsibility for keeping the peace and assuring that other terrorist groups will not rise from the ashes.  By actions not words, the world community, led by Muslim leaders, will provide humanitarian aid, infrastructure and education to rebuild the ravaged Muslim community. By their actions, the nations of the world, working hand in hand with the Muslim community will show that the followers of terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda are false prophets.

Contrary to what Trump and Gingrich would have us believe…military action will not defeat ISIS.  We took out Saddam only to have Al Qaeda and the Taliban rear their ugly heads.  We killed Al Qaeda and destroyed the Taliban only to see ISIS take their place.  To quote Mr. Trump:  “When will we learn?”

The United States has a role to play in this conflict.  I do not believe that we can just sit back and wait for ISIS to strike.  “If you see something, say something” is no longer enough.  We have to act to bring order and stop the escalation of killing. 

The United States will win a military war against ISIS.  But In order to bring a permanent end to ISIS and likeminded groups you have to kill the ideology.  The only way to do that is to prove the ideology to be a false prophecy. 

Only the Muslim community can do that.

Trump and Gingrich only fan the flames that give credence to ISIS’ beliefs.