In Fighting the Islamic State, Obama Is a Tortoise and the GOP is Harebrained

Combative rhetoric in free elections challenges a united national foreign policy. More than 15 candidates in the US presidential race, to be decided in November 2016, compete by siding with President Barack Obama or criticizing his policies. After serving two terms, Obama cannot run for reelection. The current point of contention: how to address religious extremism. Obama takes a deliberative approach against extremists interspersed among civilian populations to avoid disrupting the region’s remaining systems of governance. He relies on small groups of Special Operations force to train local troops to secure communities over the long term. Republican candidates urge ground troops, weapons transfers, forceful rhetoric on Islam, along with new limits on visas – at the cost of billions, reducing available funds for US domestic programs and encouraging Sunni extremism. “The bottom line for Obama is that the United States shouldn’t overextend itself on projects on which it probably can’t deliver, which will further bleed the country,” writes David Ignatius for the Washington Post. A big terrorist attack in the US would test Obama’s patience. – YaleGlobal