Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
UAE Ambassador Yousef al Otaiba | Politico
This weekend, we watched in horror as ISIL-linked extremists in Libya beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians. Two weeks ago, people across the world were repulsed by the killing of the Jordanian pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh. This brutal act revealed ISIL’s bankrupt ideology of death and destruction. This and the many other atrocities committed by ISIL—mass murder, rape, brutal suppression of local populations—have united the people of Jordan and millions across the Middle East in a call for justice and military action against violent extremists.
Now more than ever, like-minded people and leaders in the region see this as our fight—we must win both the clash of armies and ideas. The entire civilized world has a lot at stake in the outcome. But after seeing close up what life is like under extremist control, we are starkly aware that for us, everything is at stake.
On Wednesday, leaders and experts from across the globe will gather for the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism. This is a timely opportunity to assess what it will really take to win against ISIL and other extremists.
Not since World War II has a conflict touched and engulfed so many countries and so many people. And while the US-led coalition has been decisive in helping to blunt ISIL advances from the air, what happens on the ground will matter most.
We saw the importance of this in Kobane, Diyala and Sinjar, where coordinated air strikes and ground forces liberated ISIL besieged areas. The lesson is that boots on the ground are critical and that we must move more urgently to train, equip and deploy local forces.
It should also be emphasized that while ISIL may be the most visible menace, it is not the only threat. Across the region, violent extremists of all stripes have demonstrated their intent to roll back modernity and impose a reign of terror.
Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
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UAE Ambassador Yousef al Otaiba | Politico
This weekend, we watched in horror as ISIL-linked extremists in Libya beheaded 21 Egyptian Christians. Two weeks ago, people across the world were repulsed by the killing of the Jordanian pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh. This brutal act revealed ISIL’s bankrupt ideology of death and destruction. This and the many other atrocities committed by ISIL—mass murder, rape, brutal suppression of local populations—have united the people of Jordan and millions across the Middle East in a call for justice and military action against violent extremists.
Now more than ever, like-minded people and leaders in the region see this as our fight—we must win both the clash of armies and ideas. The entire civilized world has a lot at stake in the outcome. But after seeing close up what life is like under extremist control, we are starkly aware that for us, everything is at stake.
On Wednesday, leaders and experts from across the globe will gather for the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism. This is a timely opportunity to assess what it will really take to win against ISIL and other extremists.
Not since World War II has a conflict touched and engulfed so many countries and so many people. And while the US-led coalition has been decisive in helping to blunt ISIL advances from the air, what happens on the ground will matter most.
We saw the importance of this in Kobane, Diyala and Sinjar, where coordinated air strikes and ground forces liberated ISIL besieged areas. The lesson is that boots on the ground are critical and that we must move more urgently to train, equip and deploy local forces.
It should also be emphasized that while ISIL may be the most visible menace, it is not the only threat. Across the region, violent extremists of all stripes have demonstrated their intent to roll back modernity and impose a reign of terror.