Will The U.S. Be Able To Face The Rise And Challenge Of The Islamic State?

The Islamic State’s Challenge To The United States -- David Ignatius, Washington Post

Warnings from U.S. officials about the terrorist Islamic State that has established a haven in Iraq and Syria sound ominously like the intelligence alerts that preceded al-Qaeda’s attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

Richard Ledgett, the deputy director of the National Security Agency, said at the Aspen Security Forum last week that the “most worrisome” threat he’s tracking are the thousands of foreign fighters training with the Islamic State. Lisa Monaco, the White House counterterrorism adviser, said at the same gathering that the al-Qaeda spinoff poses a potential danger to the U.S. homeland.

The lights seem to be blinking red, but the United States is holding its fire for the moment, despite some calls from congressional hawks to bomb the Islamic State terrorists before they get any stronger. This delay reflects a debate within the Obama administration about how and when to fight the self­proclaimed jihadist caliphate.

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My Comment: So who is to blame for the rise of The Islamic State .... if David Ignatius is to be believed .... it is everyone's fault .... but no blame on the current occupier of the White House. This is the problem with Washington today ..... the political/media class who run Washington always go to great lengths to protect themselves .... and when something goes wrong .... it is everyone's fault but not their own. This is especially the case right now .... and as the world implodes into numerous wars and conflicts, shifting and disintegrating alliances, coupled with economic fears that the bubble that we have been living through for the past four years is about to burst .... I sense a growing worry (if not panic) from those who see themselves as the guardians of U.S. power and media influence. They all know that the rise of the Islamic State is going to be one of many challenges that the U.S. is going to face in the next few years .... but what is interesting is that they all know (and fear) that there is a very good chance that the U.S. is not going to be up to the job to face them.