The Islamic State poses a grave danger to the United States and its allies in the Middle East and around the world. It's beyond any terrorist threat we have ever seen. It must be defeated.
In the free downloadable paper, A Strategy to Defeat the Islamic State, Kimberly Kagan, Frederick W. Kagan, and Jessica D. Lewis explore how IS can be defeated.
The Islamic State poses a grave danger to the United States and its allies in the Middle East and around the world. Reports that it is not currently planning an attack against the American homeland are little comfort. Its location, the resources it controls, the skill and determination of its leaders and fighters, and its demonstrated lethality distinguish it from other al-Qaeda-like groups. Its ability to offer safe-haven and support to terrorists planning attacks against us is beyond any terrorist threat we have ever seen. The thousands of American and European citizens who are fighting alongside the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra in Iraq and Syria constitute an unprecedented threat to our security regardless of whether those groups intend to attack us. The Islamic State is a clear and present danger to the security of the United States. It must be defeated.