Iraq is currently in crisis, as it has fallen victim to the rapid rise of former al-Qaeda offshoot ISIS, a terrorist group seeking to unite the Sunni areas of the Middle East under a single leadership obedient to Sharia Law.  ISIS or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has been able to capitalize on the political weakness of its respective states, to capture key points of control throughout Northern Iraq and Syria, essentially forming the beginning phases of a new state.  ISIS has shown itself to be extremely effective in moving into its targeted areas and taking over very quickly, creating a sense of fear and establishing a form of power that elevates the group’s notoriety potentially beyond levels that it really deserves.  Neither Iraq or Syria are states capable of staving off ISIS on their own, due to a lack of both political power and military might; neither nation possesses the strength required to fight off such a dire threat, which allows ISIS to essentially take control of the country uncontested.

In order to put down the mass insurgency in the most effective manner, the United States needs to step back into the Middle East.  Although they have given aid to Iraqi forces and have cooridinated airstrikes in both Syria and Iraq, a full deployment of US troops is whats necessary to eliminate the threat that ISIS poses.  Many people will disagree with this opinion, but it is only fair for the US to do so, as their 2003 invasion is directly responsible for the current issues.  Following the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq fell into chaos, as numerous groups sprang up to give themselves power.  Although Saddam was a unjust dictator, he was able to keep the numerous cultural, ethnic, and religious groups united under one government, but when he was gone, sectarianism spiralled out of control and ultimately led to the issues facing the country today.  ISIS as a group seeks to specifically unite the Sunni Muslim areas of the country against the current Shi’a regime in control of the state.  Potentially, one could assume that if Saddam had been left in power, the current religious divide would have never had the chance to develop into what it is today.

In order to give the Iraqi and Syrian states the power that it needs to maintain secure control of its region, the US needs to fully step back in to the area so that it can make up for the problems that it helped to create.  As the world’s top military power, the US possesses the capabilities to remove ISIS completely, and, as noted in this link, ISIS is not as secure in its presence as many would be led to believe.  Much of ISIS’ control rests on the ability to maintain a hold of towns near major roads up north, and its territory is likely focused specifically around these spots.  It is not a complete territorial control.  If the US were to enter and to take back these relatively small areas, there is the possibility that ISIS could be taken out of Iraq and Syria.

While ISIS is a threat, it has only got where it is today because of the US’ involvement and subsequent retraction from Iraq.  As such, I fully believe that in order to make just their relatively destabilizing actions in the Middle East, the United States must pledge full support to Iraq and Syria in the war against ISIS, and this means a complete deployment back into the area.