David Ignatius's Blog, page 129

James Clapper: We underestimated the Islamic State’s ‘will to fight’

The United States has made the same mistake in evaluating fighters from the Islamic State that it did in Vietnam — underestimating the enemy’s will, according to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.

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David Ignatius: U.S. boots are already on the ground against the Islamic State

Here’s a national-security riddle: How can President Obama provide limited military support on the ground to help “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State without formally violating his pledge not to send U.S. combat troops? The answer may lie in the legal alchemy known as “Title 50.”

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Obama’s advantages as a reluctant warrior

President Obama certainly didn’t go looking for another war in the Middle East. Indeed, he contorted himself almost to the breaking point to avoid one. But as he explained to the country Wednesday night, he had no choice but to respond with “strength and resolve” to the barbarous Islamic State that is ravaging Iraq and Syria.

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Stepping warily onto the battlefield

For President Obama, this is gut-check time on Iraq. He is moving the nation back onto a pitiless battlefield, with a war plan that is long on good intentions and short on clarity about the ultimate mission.

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The ‘slows’ of Obama’s Islamic State strategy

The United States imprudently rushed into war in Iraq in 2003. At least nobody can make that criticism this time around.

The administration is moving cautiously to fulfill President Obama’s promise to “degrade and destroy” the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Yes, Obama does seem to have a strategy, and it gets pretty good marks from allies abroad. But many components aren’t ready yet, and some aren’t fully conceptualized.

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David Ignatius: The Senate Republicans’ foolish fight over ambassadors

Talk about America’s decline is usually wrong. But how else would you describe a country that, in a world of exploding tensions, is unable to confirm dozens of ambassadors to foreign posts because of partisan squabbling?

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Can Saudi Arabia help combat the Islamic State?

With Iraq and Syria ablaze, the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia seems almost an afterthought. But Riyadh will be a crucial, if quixotic, ally as the United States seeks to mobilize Sunni Muslims against the terrorist Islamic State.

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Obama faces a back-to-work challenge

It’s “back to school” week for President Obama, after what a CNN analyst called “the vacation from hell.” So perhaps it’s a good time to examine what’s been going wrong for Obama recently and whether he can fix it.

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The new battle against evil

The propagandists of the Islamic State must have imagined that their brutal video of the beheading of journalist James Foley would intimidate and terrorize the world. But people aren’t built that way, not in Muslim countries or anywhere else. When they see sadistic, uncivilized behavior, they are disgusted — and angry.

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Crafting a strategy for deterring Putin

ASPEN, Colo.

At the public kickoff of a discussion here about U.S. policy toward Russia and Ukraine, former defense secretary Robert Gates joked that his favorite definition of diplomacy was “petting a dog and saying ‘nice doggie’ until you can find a rock.”

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