U.S. & the Middle East: Rectifying Our Mistakes

JOSEPH NEY-JUN
Staff Writer

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), formerly known as ISIS, was relatively unheard of among most people until videos of executions by decapitation began circulating the Internet. The victims have been American citizens and those of other countries. This and other terrorist threats have drawn the attention of the U.S. government. President Barack Obama has recently begun to push for Congress to allow the U.S. to take military action against ISIL’s operations in the Middle East. The has been long overdue and the U.S. has a responsibility to take action in the Middle East again.

It is important for the U.S. to take action not only because ISIL threatens us directly, but because the U.S. helped to create them through our actions in the Middle East following the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Bush Administration began the War on Terror to stop the threat of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups. In 2003, the Iraq War also began. During this time, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were both killed. Although Hussein was a dictator and Bin Laden a leader of a terrorist organization, both men were well-respected or feared and helped maintain order. ISIL was formed in part by men who were ready to take advantage of the chaos following their deaths and the resentment for the occupying forces during the Iraq War.

There are members of the American public who are tired of the war in the Middle East and believe that the U.S. should cease involvement entirely, but the time to cease involvement passed thirteen years ago. The Middle East was not a region of terrorists and barbarians; it had government and order and today it still has everyday citizens who care nothing for the conflict. The U.S. destabilized the entire region and now has a responsibility to fix the chaos it created.