Obama’s ‘Confused’ and ‘Self-Contradictory’ ISIS Strategy

“Obama ordered CIA to train ISIS jihadists: Declassified documents”

President Obama’s strategy for dealing with ISIS seems like a real mishmash. It was a Mishmash that a surprise attack by Jonathan and his armor-bearer overpowered a Philistine outpost and caused a panic that led to complete disarray in the enemy camp, so that “…every man’s sword was against his fellow (1 Samuel 14:20).

 

 

The main body of the Philistines were awakened by the noise of the turmoil and thought that they were surrounded by their enemy. They “melted away, and they went on beating down one another.” (1 Samuel 14:16). By the time Saul and his troops actually arrived, many of the Philistines had slaughtered each other in complete confusion and the rest had run for their lives. That is why, when things are chaotic and at cross purposes, we call it a “mishmash.”

 

Commentators are obviously struggling to figure out the administration’s policy for dealing with ISIS. Things seem to be chaotic and at cross purposes. They call Obama’s ISIS strategy “confused,” and “self-contradictory” and a plan that “fights itself.” Should we back Bashar Al Assad in Syria or are we against him? Are we with or against Iran? Sometimes the U.S. gives air support to Iranian backed-militias in Iraq and in Yemen, and sometimes the U.S. supports Saudi Arabia in the fight against Iranian-backed militias. They call the policy “feckless.” That means, “inept, incompetent and ineffectual.”

 

What’s going on? Let’s go back in recent history for a moment to 2012 to examine the birthplace of this Mideast foolishness. The Examiner has reported recently that ISIS members were originally trained by the CIA and CIA contractors in Jordan. The idea back then was that the United States should aid and equip “moderate” elements of the group which came to be called ISIS or Islamic State, as an effective way to isolate the regime of Syrian dictator President Bashar al-Assad. (It has been documented by Judicial Watch that the Obama administration was aware that weapons were being shipped through Benghazi to “moderate” Jihadist rebel troops in Syria. But that’s another matter.) This was all part of the very questionable policy of fostering “regime change” to stabilize the region.

 

James Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence has admitted that the Obama administration has been arming terrorists but calling them “moderates,” hoping, we assume, that one day we won’t have to fight the terrorists that we gave the weapons to. Today we read that the Pentagon will equip and train Sunni forces to fight ISIS. A Pentagon spokesman said that this was not a change in “strategy,” but rather a change in “tactics,” as Iraqi government and Sunni fighters fled Ramadi in the face of ISIS terrorists, even though ISIS was outnumbered.

 

The international coalition fighting the advance of ISIS in Iraq seems to be immobilized right now, with military force deployment planners rethinking their strategies. ISIS is also advancing on Jordan, which has been a buffer between Israel and Islamic State hostilities. If Israel sees a need to defend herself from ISIS, this could offend Arab partners, throwing the coalition into further disarray. And, we don’t need to confuse things any more than they already are.

 

 By Rick Brinegar