Summary

by Charles Krauthammer, The Daily Star

Baghdad called President Barack Obama’s bluff and he came through.

With the support of U.S. airstrikes, Iraqi and Kurdish forces have retaken the Mosul dam.

In following through, Obama demonstrated three things: the effectiveness of even limited U.S. power, the vulnerability of the ISIS and, crucially, his own seriousness, however tentative.

Obama had said that there is no American military solution to the conflict.

That solution requires U.S. air support.

Obama was slow to bring American power to bear. And slower still to arm the Kurds. But he was right to wait until Baghdad had gotten rid of Nouri al-Maliki, lest the United States serve as a Shiite air force.

According to Obama’s own assertions, however, the recent Kurdish/Iraqi advances have averted the threat of genocide.

To protect Americans in an outpost, you don’t need an air war.

Why not state the real objective of the U.S. air campaign?

For now, Obama can get away with stretching the existing rationale, but not if he is to conduct a sustained campaign.

For a serious rollback campaign, Obama will need public support.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2014/Aug-25/268341-why-defeating-the-islamic-state-is-necessary.ashx#ixzz3BO96aan9
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)