AMU Homeland Security Intelligence Opinion Terrorism

Terror in Nice: Allies Ask ‘Where is America’s ISIS Strategy?’

Note: The opinions and comments stated in the following article, and views expressed by any contributor to In Homeland Security, do not represent the views of American Military University, American Public University System, its management or employees.

By John Ubaldi
Contributor, In Homeland Security

A terrorist attack happened again. A 31-year-old Tunisian native and terrorist struck in the French city of Nice during Bastille Day celebrations, killing 84 people and injuring over 200. This shocking and horrific event is the third major terror attack within France in the past 19 months.

Right away, French president Francois Hollande reacted. He said, “All of France is under threat from Islamist terrorism. Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria,” referring to France’s current airstrikes on ISIS. He added, “We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil.”

The attack brought the scourge of terrorism home to the United States as two of the victims were Americans — an 11-year-old boy and his father.

The question being asked by American allies is…where is America?

Obama Continues to Pursue Confusing ISIS Strategy

During a White House reception for the diplomatic corps, President Obama quickly commented, “I want to take this opportunity to say once more: We will not be deterred. We will not relent. We’re going to keep working together to prevent attacks and defend our homeland. We are going to keep taking out ISIL leaders and pushing ISIL back in Syria and Iraq. We’re going to keep standing with our partners from Africa to Afghanistan. And we are going to destroy this vile terrorist organization.”

We have heard this statement by the president before. Only days before this terrorist attack in Nice, the U.S. sent a couple of hundred additional military personnel to Iraq. The Pentagon is looking at requesting more service personnel to help defeat ISIS, but what is the strategy for defeating ISIS?

Obama’s Foreign Policy Philosophy

President Obama still philosophically believes that the U.S. does more harm than good in the world. He feels that if only the United States would lead from behind, other nations will fill the void with greater success.

The unfortunate result sadly shows that Obama’s strategy is not working. The president needs to understand that America holds a unique position in world affairs that only the U.S. can fill. Right or wrong, chaos ensues when the United States retreats from the international stage.

US Fails To Understand the Tenets of Strategy

Far too often, I mentioned that President Obama failed to heed the military axiom of Chinese military strategist and philosopher Sun Tzu: “If you know your enemy and you know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Even after the attacks in San Bernardino and Orlando by radical Islamic terrorists, the president still cannot bring himself to utter the words “Islamic Terrorism.” If Obama cannot even name the enemy we are fighting, then how can we defeat them?

Right now, the initiative is with ISIS. There is no U.S. ISIS strategy. We speak of tactical gains in Iraq, but unless the U.S. gains the upper hand, we are merely reacting to terror attacks that are spreading like cancer across the west until they firmly land on U.S. shores.

President Obama must understand the military axiom articulated by Prussian general and military theorist Carl von Clausewitz: “The first, the supreme, the most far-reaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish…the kind of war on which they are embarking.”

Clausewitz also stated: “No one starts a war – or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so – without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it.”

Regional Powers and Their ISIS Strategy

What is the administration’s strategy to defeating ISIS? What about the other countries in the region who have different strategic interests then those of the U.S., such as Russia, Iran, Syria, the Gulf States and Turkey? All of these countries have to be considered in the development of an ISIS strategy.

The president’s dithering for the past five years has only made a bad situation worse. His continued failure to act will only make the situation grow to an inoperable cancer.

Even on Friday, the U.S. was again left flatfooted during the attempted coup in Turkey. Once more, the U.S. was blindsided by this recent development from an ally and fellow NATO partner.

Elements of the Turkish military tried an unsuccessful coup against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The failed attempt placed the U.S. on the wrong side and made the Obama administration look feckless in its response.

Far too often, President Obama looks helpless and overwhelmed by world events.

Our allies and adversaries around the world see a helpless superpower, while they view the unimpeded Russian military aggression in Ukraine, the Crimea and Syria. China is allowed aggressive action in the South China Sea; meanwhile, the Obama administration gives rhetorical speeches with no action to the bark.

Right now the world is watching America being torn apart by internal and external forces. Unless President Obama takes action, he will bequeath to his successor a world that is on fire.

Glynn Cosker is a Managing Editor at AMU Edge. In addition to his background in journalism, corporate writing, web and content development, Glynn served as Vice Consul in the Consular Section of the British Embassy located in Washington, D.C. Glynn is located in New England.

Comments are closed.