The Way to Fight ISIL
Arms for nonextremist rebels in Syria may help stop the militants in Iraq
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The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which just rebranded itself the Islamic State and now controls significant parts of Iraq and Syria, presents the U.S. with both a security threat and a policy dilemma. In Iraq, fighting ISIL means helping the government put down a Sunni rebellion. In Syria, fighting ISIL means helping a Sunni rebellion against the government.
The only constant here is fighting ISIL. It’s this context that best explains President Obama’s request to Congress for $500 million to arm and train Syria’s opposition. The aid may or may not be a breakthrough in the quest to end Syria’s brutal civil war, but it certainly offers the U.S. a way to fight ISIL outside the political complications of Iraq.