Coalition airstrikes against ISIS prompt questions
Sep 23, 2014, 3:41 PM | Updated: 3:41 pm
It has begun in earnest. Here are the six questions I have that I think deserve some answers.
• Who is the rest of coalition? What is the coalition’s motivations for joining the fight? Is this group OUR allies or just anti-ISIS. Does that matter?
• I haven’t heard any of the military command say that airstrikes alone will defeat ISIS. What is the time frame for evaluating success, and let’s be honest, when are ground troops going in?
• If airstrikes manage to displace or push back ISIS, who gets control of the previously held territory, especially since we have no boots on the ground?
• Syria has not joined the coalition, and is not OK with the airstrikes. What is the plan if they fire back or their allies come to their defense?
• Why will training the “moderate” Syrian rebels turn out any different from the training efforts with “moderate” Iraqis and Afghans?
• And as we enter year 14 of the war on terror with al-Qaida, how do we define victory against ISIS?
I reserve the right to answer my own questions or add more later. Feel free to answer any of the above or ask your own.
