V-I day, triumph over ISIS

[Polishprince]

The Islamic State,co-founded by Hillary Clinton and B. Hussein O, has been crushed and destroyed.

President Trump acts, while other politicians bullshit.

I expect zero seconds of broadcast time will be spent on CNN and MSNBC over this fabulous victory

ISIS caliphate has crumbled and last stronghold liberated, Fox News has learned

 

[Rambunctious]

Trump said he would kick ass and he has...too bad the Magic Kenyan didn't want to win....

 

[Sunni Man]

Not much of a victory for America to celebrate. ....

Iraq and Syria are now basically vassal states of Iran.

The brutal dictator Assad retains power.

Russian navy base remains in Syria, and now Russia is a major player in the region.

 

[RoccoR]

RE: V-I day, triumph over ISIS
⁜→ Sunni Man, et al,

You cannot really think in terms of wins or losses for America in the Middle East.

Not much of a victory for America to celebrate. ....

Iraq and Syria are now basically vassal states of Iran.

The brutal dictator Assad retains power.

Russian navy base remains in Syria, and now Russia is a major player in the region.

(COMMENT)

The political-Military (POL-MIL) contribution and outcomes should be thought of in terms of :

◈ Did we contribute to the delay or prevention of something bad happening?

◈ Did we assist in the dessimation of a serious threat to the regional powers?

◈ Did America contrubteto a more stable regional environment in the near future?​

Theater POL-MIL Operations are not a matter of clear cut objectives. Rather, the objectives are measured in terms of the actual outcomes, consequences, and conclusions.

When America was last in Iraq, the POL-MIL expectations (set in 2005) and re-emphasized in 2005 by the National Security Council (NSC). They were defined in this manner:

✪ Victory in Iraq was Defined in Stages as set by the White House (articulated in 2003) and the

◈ Short term, Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones,
building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces.

◈ Medium term, Iraq is in the lead defeating terrorists and providing its own security, with a fully
constitutional government in place, and on its way to achieving its economic potential.

◈ Longer term, Iraq is peaceful, united, stable, and secure, well integrated into the international
community, and a full partner in the global war on terrorism.​

The NSC, while recognizing the failure even then, was unwilling to recognize that America is no longer the world leader and that it can no longer wheel the authority and influence it once had.

Since before the turn of the century, America was slowly become increasingly aware that the diplomacy of the days of Geaorge C. Marshall were gone (at least in terms of the Middle East).

Most Respectfully,
R