After the terrorist attack in Paris I asked, “Does the U.S. Care about Europe?” Now, after the Brussels attack, it is time to repeat this warning. As the New York Time’s Roger Cohen points out:
- Over 1 million refugees entered Europe in 2015 alone. Another 136,000 have arrived so far in 2016. This creates a huge financial burden as well as a cultural challenge for a Europe which is already weakened by huge debt and slow economic growth.
- It will bolster those campaigning to take Britain out of the European Union in the upcoming June referendum. A British departure from the EU will dramatically weaken it and might encourage other countries to leave as well.
- Islamic State terror plays into the hands of populist demagogues such as presidential candidate Donald Trump and right wing French leader Marine Le Pen.
- To allow ISIS to have its own territory, and capital city Raqqa in Syria, is a very high risk strategy. It allows the Islamic State to spread its evil not only around the immediate area but all over the world.
- The question raised most urgently by the Brussels attacks, so soon after Paris, is whether and why Raqqa can be tolerated when Al Qaeda’s Tora Bora sanctuary in Afghanistan was not. Today, the West’s ponderous wait-them-out approach looks like capitulation.
The fundamental question is whether or not the U.S. can refrain from immersing itself in the crises of the Middle East and still maintain its status as the world’s indispensable super power. “George Bush will be remembered harshly for what he did in the Middle East. Barack Obama is gambling that he will be judged well for the things he didn’t do.” The stakes are very high indeed for both the United States and our European allies.
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It Does Not Add Up 
Beating ISIS militarily will do little good, Any invasion and action will irritate many Muslims cost America dollars, lives, and prestige. The real problem is the ideology. Defeat the ideology and you’ll win. However, all I hear being talked about is just the military victory. Politicians are not even willing to identify the ideology; they won’t identify the ugly aspects of the ideology; but most horrifically they will not even name the source of the ideology. How can anyone defeat an ideology they won’t even identify. Basically, it is 2001 again and we’re headed into Iraq except that it’s 2016 and were going after ISIS. Beating ISIS militarily will do little good.
I want to defeat ISIS in order to help Europe, which is in danger of being overwhelmed with refugees. Europe is already in a weakened financial state and the EU could easily disintegrate without our help.
Europe is to good a friend to ignore when in peril.