Blaney1

SamanthaBlaney
Mr.Burchett
HonorsGovernmentPeriod5
23October2015
PeaceintheEast
TheIslamicStateoftheLevant,whichwillbereferredtoasISILinthispaper,isa
jihadistextremistmilitantgroupcomposedmainlySunniarabsinSyriaandIraq.Thegroup
formedin1999underthenameJama'atalTawhidwalJihad,thenlaterin2003USledinvasion
ofIraqthegrouppledgedallegiancetoOsamaBinLadensAlQaedanetworkinOctober2004.
OnOctober13,2006thegroupbrokefromAlQaedaandofficiallypronouncedthemselvesthe
IslamicStateofIraqwiththemissiontorestorethegloryofIslamatthecostoftheirownlives
andthelivesofanyotherpersonwhodidnotconformtotheirarchaicideologies.InJuneof
2014thegroupproclaimedthemselvesaglobalcaliphateandrenamedthegrouptheIslamic
State.However,foreigngovernmentsandMuslimleadersdonotrecognizeISILtobeacaliphate
nordotheyrecognizethegroupastheIslamicState.ThegroupisoftenreferredtoasISIS
(IslamicStateofIraqandSyria)orDaesha,theislamicpronunciation.AsofMarch2015ISIL
hascontroloverterritorycontaining10millionpeopleinIraqandSyria,andhasanestimated
strengthof250,000militants.ISILisaterroristgroupthatcannotcoexistwithinthemodern
world.TheyhaveviolatedtheGenevaconventionof1925bytheuseofbannedchemical
warfare.ISILhascommittedmanyofthesameinfractionsagainstUnitedNationregulationas
SuddahmHussaindidin1990.TheuseofincreasedmilitaryforcebytheUnitedStatesforthe
purposeofeliminatingISILisjustifiablebecauseoftheinhumaneactionsthegrouphastaken,

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theviolationofamultitudeofinternationalcodeandlaw,andthethreatthegroupimposeson
themodernworld.
ISILisbasedoffaWahhabigroupofIslamthatfollowsanextremeinterpretationofthe
Koranwhichpromotesreligiousviolence.ISISsteppedupitskillingspreeasitcelebratedboth
RamadananditsoneyearanniversaryasacaliphateinIraqandSyriawiththreestraightdaysof
ruthlesspublicpunishmentsandexecutions(Zimmerman).Peoplewholiveintheregions
controlledbyISILandwhodonotconformtotheirideologywillbebrutallymurdered.ISIS
releasedavideoof15menexecutedinthreeterribleways:Drownedincages,havingtheirhead
blownoffwithexplosivesandburningthemaliveinacarhitwitharocketlauncher
(Zimmerman).ISILhasnotbeenshyaboutpublicexecutionstheyhavereleasedmanyvideosof
prisonersbeingbeheaded,ajordanianpilotbeingburnedaliveinacage,andchildrenshotinto
theirowngraves.YoungwomenandgirlsarebeinggangedrapedinthenameofIslam.The
systematicrapeofwomenandgirlsfromtheYazidireligiousminorityhasbecomedeeply
enmeshedintheorganizationandtheradicaltheologyoftheIslamicStateintheyearsincethe
groupannounceditwasrevivingslaveryasaninstitution(Callimachi).ISILisdirectlyviolating
thehumanrightsofthemillionsofpeoplewhoareunfortunateenoughtoliveintheareas
controlledbyISIL.Humanbeingsarebeingtreatedasslaves,animals,andworse,the
governmentoftheFreeNationhastheresponsibilitytoprotectthebasichumanfreedomsof
allpeople.ThemissiontheU.S.StateDepartmentistoCreateamoresecure,democratic,and
prosperousworldforthebenefitoftheAmericanpeopleandtheinternationalcommunityand
thatthefundamentalbeliefisthatourfreedomisbestprotectedbyensuringthatothersarefree
(mission).

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TheGenevaProtocolof1925prohibitstheuseofchemicalorbiologicalwarfarein
armedconflicts.U.S.militaryofficialsinIraqhaveissuedpreliminaryconfirmationthatIslamic
StatemilitantsusedmustardgasinamortarattackonKurdishforcesinAugust,aDefense
Departmentofficialsaid(Tilghman).AlthoughISILwasnotasigningpartyoftheGeneva
Protocolof1925,SyriaandIraqbothwere.IntheAUTHORIZATIONFORUSEOF
MILITARYFORCEAGAINSTIRAQRESOLUTIONOF2002oneoftheconstituentswasthat
IraqhadamassedalargestockpileofchemicalweaponsandbecauseofthistheU.S.was
justifiedintakingcombativemeasures.TheUnitedStatesisleadingcoalitionforcesinairstrikes
againstISIL.U.S.ledwarplaneshavecarriedoutmorethan5,800bombingraidsagainst
IslamicStatefightersinIraqandSyriainthepastyear(Rosen).MilitaryactionbytheUnited
StatesagainstISILisjustifiedbecauseasaleadingglobalpowertheU.S.hastheresponsibility
todeteranyterroristactionstakenagainstthemodernworld.Inaddition,ISILmilitantsare
willingtokillthemselvesinsuicidebombingwhilekillingmanyotherpeople.
ISILspriorityistoridtheworldofasmanyopposingforcesaspossible.Asanationof
religiousfreedom,personalfreedom,andeconomicfreedomtheUnitedStatesisveryhighonthe
killlistofISIL.TheIslamicStateofIraqandtheLevant(ISIL)hasdramaticallyundermined
stabilityinIraq,SyriaandthebroaderMiddleEastandposesathreattointernationalpeaceand
security(mission).ThethreatgoesbeyondtheUnitedStates.Alongwiththemultiple
murdersofwesterners,ISILhaskilledJapanese,Jordanians,Italians,andmanyothers.ISISis
believedtobeholdinganumberofAmericans,aU.S.officialtoldCNNinAugustafterFoley's
execution(Mullen).Inadditiontothescoreswhohavebeenbrutallymurdered,countless
Christians,Yazidisandotherminoritieshavebeenforcedtofleeareastheyvecalledhomefor

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centuries(Ferran).RussiahasentereditselfintotheconflictbysupportingtheSyrianregime
andstartingtheirownairstrikesagainstISIL.RussiahassaiditsmilitarycampaigninSyriawas
primarilyintendedtobattleISISandotherextremistgroupsoperatingthere(Crawford).By
havingasharedgoal,theerradicationofISIL,Russiapresentsitselfwiththeopportunitytojoin
forceswiththeUnitedStatestoincreaseproductivity.
ApopularargumentagainstgettinginvolvedmilitarilyintheMiddleEastisthatwe
inflateISISbyattackingit(Coates).PeoplehavearguedthatISILisaregionalissueandthat
thereisnoimmediatethreattoU.S.securitythatmakesmilitaryactionnecessary.Peopleare
wrongtothinkthatthereisnoimmediatethreattotheU.S.becauseoneofthemaingoalsof
ISIListospreadtheirideologyacrosstheglobe.Approximately1700ISILmilitantsareof
Russianoriginaswellas600comingfromtheUnitedKingdom.MohammedEmwaziorJihadi
JohnasheismostoftenreferredtoisaBritishmanseenbeheadinganumberofcaptivesinISIL
propagandavideos.ItisIsisfightersbeliefthatallreligionswhoagreewithdemocracyhave
todie(Withnall).TheeffectsofISILsactionsgobeyondthe40,000squaremilesofterritory
controlledbyISILinSyriaandIraq.ISILclaimstobeastate,theIslamicStatebuttobea
stateonemusthavedefinedboards.ISILhasdestroyedtoborderbetweenIraqandSyriaandstill
hopestostretchitscontroloverneighboringland.
ISILisathreattoAmericanidealsandAmericanpeople.Thisterroristgroupwishesto
senditspeoplebacktothemiddleagesinwhichwomenweretreatednobetterthandogsand
violencewasjustifiedbyreligion.Thisisagroupthatcansimplynotexistinthemodernworld.
Allcountrieswhorepresentamodernworldhavetheresponsibilitytomaintainthatglobal
peace.TheUnitedStateshasthepowertodefeatISIL.Ifconcentrated,theforceoftheUnited

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Statesandsupportingcountriescaneliminatethisglobalterrorthreatinatimelymanner.If
powerisnotconcentratedandstrikesproceedwithadelay,ISILwillbeabletogrowinsizeand
support.AsObamasaid,
"ItmustbecleartoanyonewhowouldplotagainstAmericaandtryto
doAmericansharmthatwewillnottoleratesafehavensforterroristswhothreatenourpeople,"
(Kaplan).TheUnitedStateswillnottolerateterroristwhothreatenAmericans.ISILisaterrorist
groupwhothreatensthesecurityoftheUnitedStatesanditwillnotbetolerated.

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