THE ISSUE: President Barack Obama announced Sept. 10 that the United States would begin limited military action meant to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. ISIL has been responsible for widespread violence in Iraq and Syria and for several high-profile executions of journalists.
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The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant poses an immediate threat to American lives and interests, as well as the general stability of the Middle East. Because of this and the possibility of a future threat on American soil, President Obama is justified in exercising his executive powers to conduct American-led missions in the region.
This group poses an immediate threat to the extensive American interests in the area, chiefly that of protecting human rights. Hundreds have been displaced or killed. Immediate use of unilateral force in the form of ground troops and air strikes in Iraq and Syria to counter this terrorist threat is appropriate.
ISIL was responsible for more than 5,500 Iraqi civilian deaths in 2014. The U.S. has an obligation to protect civilian lives anywhere they are threatened so broadly.
With no international power stepping up to lead the fight against ISIL, a lack of American action — in this case, action without the direct consent of Congress — would almost certainly, albeit indirectly, lead to more killings in the area. President Obama must take military action for the sake of the safety of all Americans abroad — just one American publicly executed by ISIL weakens the international reputation and protection associated with being an American.
