Were the failed, naive policies of Barack Obama why ISIS came into being?
No one, of course, can answer that question for sure. But Islamic scholar Raymond Ibrahim has an opinion well worth considering:
Obamawas repeatedly warned that withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraqwould lead to something exactly like the Islamic State-with all theatrocities that have become synonymous with that name.
Indeed,arguing against early troop withdrawal, Obama\’s predecessor, GeorgeW. Bush, once made the following now prophetic remarks:
Tobegin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we are ready would bedangerous for Iraq, for the region and for the United States.
Itwould mean surrendering the future of Iraq to Al Qaeda.
Itwould mean that we\’d be risking mass killings on a horrific scale.
Itwould mean we allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraqto replace the one they lost in Afghanistan.
Itwould mean we\’d be increasing the probability that American troopswould have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that iseven more dangerous.
Thepoint here is not to “side” with Bush-the idea of transporting”democracy” to an Islamic country was ill-conceived from thestart-but rather to demonstrate that Obama was thoroughly warnedwhat troop withdrawal would lead to: the Islamic State. The same U.S. military and intelligence sources that allowed Bush tomake that prescient statement also sharedtheir assessments with Obama.
As you can see, Raymond Ibrahim is no apologist for George Bush. But, much though he may have disagreed with Bush\’s efforts in Iraq, he concludes that it was Barack Obama – more specifically, his insistence on a course of action that experts told him was wrong – which lost Iraq and facilitated the rise of what we now call ISIS (which Mr. Obama, ever happy to show he is smarter than we are, uses a different name for than we do: ISIL).
Is Mr. Ibraham correct?
Your call.
