The Arab League met today in Cairo. While the results of the meeting have not yet been released, the expectation is that the group will pass a resolution condemning ISIS. So far, so good. The expectation is also that the Arab League will endorse the American air campaign against ISIS. That is truly irksome. Hopefully, there will be more than just an endorsement.
The Arab League is composed of the very countries who are most threatened by ISIS. Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and the gulf states are prime targets for incorporation into the ISIS caliphate. That means that each of those states has to do more than just endorse fighting by someone else. They need to send troops and equipment to fight against ISIS.
If America had a president other than Obama, I would feel confident that the USA had its representatives speaking to the members of the Arab League and calling upon them to do more in the fight against ISIS. Unfortunately, we are stuck with Obama, so there may be no behind the scenes effort to build that coalition to fight ISIS.
Not each of the threatened states can participate in a meaningful way. Lebanon is already a target of attack by ISIS, so its military needs to stay put in its own country to prevent further attacks. Egypt is being hit by terrorists from Hamas in Sinai, so it too may already have its hands full. The Kuwaitis, Saudis, and Jordanians, however, could easily contribute in a major way to the fight against ISIS, and they should. The Saudi air force could carry out raids on ISIS positions tomorrow if they received orders to do so. Kuwait has a much smaller force, but it too could contribute to the effort. Even the gulf states have the capability to join the fight; witness the recent air strikes by the U.A.E. in Libya. For its part, Jordan has the ability to strike directly at ISIS with an organized and well trained military. For King Abdullah of Jordan, however, this would be a major move. Since 1970, the Jordanian army has stayed away from involvement in any sort of war. The balance in the kingdom has been too delicate to risk upsetting it with war. That, however, has to change. Jordan could provide a major Sunni Arab force to confront ISIS. That would prevent the fight against ISIS from being Sunni vs. Shiite or Arab vs. Kurd or Moslem vs. Christian.
I hope that the Arab League does more than just endorse a fight by the USA. Let's hope that just this once, Obama did the right thing.
The Arab League is composed of the very countries who are most threatened by ISIS. Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and the gulf states are prime targets for incorporation into the ISIS caliphate. That means that each of those states has to do more than just endorse fighting by someone else. They need to send troops and equipment to fight against ISIS.
If America had a president other than Obama, I would feel confident that the USA had its representatives speaking to the members of the Arab League and calling upon them to do more in the fight against ISIS. Unfortunately, we are stuck with Obama, so there may be no behind the scenes effort to build that coalition to fight ISIS.
Not each of the threatened states can participate in a meaningful way. Lebanon is already a target of attack by ISIS, so its military needs to stay put in its own country to prevent further attacks. Egypt is being hit by terrorists from Hamas in Sinai, so it too may already have its hands full. The Kuwaitis, Saudis, and Jordanians, however, could easily contribute in a major way to the fight against ISIS, and they should. The Saudi air force could carry out raids on ISIS positions tomorrow if they received orders to do so. Kuwait has a much smaller force, but it too could contribute to the effort. Even the gulf states have the capability to join the fight; witness the recent air strikes by the U.A.E. in Libya. For its part, Jordan has the ability to strike directly at ISIS with an organized and well trained military. For King Abdullah of Jordan, however, this would be a major move. Since 1970, the Jordanian army has stayed away from involvement in any sort of war. The balance in the kingdom has been too delicate to risk upsetting it with war. That, however, has to change. Jordan could provide a major Sunni Arab force to confront ISIS. That would prevent the fight against ISIS from being Sunni vs. Shiite or Arab vs. Kurd or Moslem vs. Christian.
I hope that the Arab League does more than just endorse a fight by the USA. Let's hope that just this once, Obama did the right thing.
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