In this instance, arming the rebels has helped to create the entire ISIS mess we're facing. 

 

Their method for winning this battle is to use brutal intimidation in order to fear those who weren't tortured and murdered into submission.  This group is looking to expand their caliphate, and to see it become a global movement, and there are more than enough weak minded individuals who are unwilling to stand up to them to allow that to happen, especially in a region of the world where people are poorly educated and don't have a whole lot of options.  Being a soldier for Allah has a certain appeal to it if you're living hand to mouth and don't have any real skills. 

 

What is bothersome is that this mentality has already become at least in part more global.  You've got members of ISIS from around the world, including from our allied nations in Europe, and from right here in the US and the Americas.  The better educated people who are becoming involved with this group are shooting to leadership positions, and they're recruiting others to expand this war. 

 

In the end, there's no other way to deal with an enemy like this that is well funded, organized, and hellbent on expanding their influence not only in the region, but globally than to put them down.  The media is all outraged today because Mr. Duck Dynasty said that you've got 2 options, convert them or kill them.  While his approach wasn't exactly tactful, the point he was making is completely valid.  These are not people you can negotiate with.  They aren't people you can just leave alone and hope they won't hit you.  They have one goal in mind, and that is to eradicate anyone who doesn't share their beliefs, and they are not going to moderate their intentions because we've backed off and let them have their way.  They've got to be dealt with, and you can't use antiseptic air strikes to succeed in destroying the movement.  As unappealing as it may be, someone is going to have to go in there and bring the fight to them on the ground. 

 

What's concerning here is that this is not your father's al Qaeda that barely knew how to operate a rifle.  These are more sophisticated, better funded, more tech savvy individuals who have zero value for human life as we've all seen.  At the point we're at right now, someone is going to have to go in there and deal with this.  What's pathetic is that all of the Arab nations  are starting to coalesce around the mindset that something needs to be done.  They just don't want to be the ones to do it.  The US almost certainly needs to play a part, but the nations that are starting to say ISIS needs to be dealt with have more than 1 million soldiers, fully stocked air forces, and enough military equipment to only need tactical support from the US.  They won't use their own forces because they almost expect us to step in and do something.  We can't.  But, we may have no choice when all is said and done. 

 

ISIS is a far more dangerous group than anything we've faced before. 

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