ISIS Mistake

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2016 has just began and already we have seen two major terrorist attacks from a group that used to be called al-Qaeda but is now called ISIS. This group seemed to have emerged on to the terrorist scene overnight and in 2014 they became famous for their success at taking over parts of Iraq and Syria. They also became famous for their brutal beheadings, genocide of other religious groups in Iraq/Syria and their social media presence that helps them recruit many around the world. So how is it possible that a group that was virtually eliminated by 2011, could come back stronger than before and evolve to such a powerful force? In 2003 the United States invaded Iraq and with little to no resistance, they were able take the Iraq’s capital, Baghdad …show more content…

The second mistake was staying there after we were able to conquer most of the nation relatively easily and found no evidence of nuclear weapons. The third and most costly mistake was executing Saddam. After the U.S. caught and killed Saddam there was no plan on what to do next. The United States failed to realize although Saddam was evil, he kept the place in check and if he were still alive, it is likely ISIS would not be around today. People like Saddam and Assad enjoy their power and would use any means to destroy any terrorist group rising up in the region such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. Once Saddam had been killed, a power vacuum opened up in Iraq and that is when the terrorist came flocking in to recruit other people which is exactly what is happening in Syria right now. You can’t invade a country and take out its leader then leave and not expect the country to become anarchy. In Obamas defense, he was handed a bad situation when he took office but the majority of the mistakes that lead to the rise of ISIS came during his presidency. Pulling out in 2011 seemed like a good idea but the US left Iraq with unstable prime minister, an unprepared/incompetent Iraqi police force and even left humvees and tanks for the taking. The Obama administration was aware that Maliki was causing civil disorder between the Sunnis and Shia. The administration also knew that he began killing the protestors but Obama choose to ignore since it was no longer our problem in his eyes. I do not expect Obama to see the future but surely he could have seen that this was going to be a issue and it was the United States problem considering we caused the mess over there in the first place. Why eliminate one evil dictator and replace him with another unsavory character? The end result was ISIS recruiting these angry Sunnis and using the equipment the U.S. left to take over cities that the Iraqi police force

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