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Obama Envoy John Allen: No ‘Short-Term Solutions’ for Stopping Islamic State
Der Spiegel ^ | December 31, 2014 – 07:18 PM | Matthias Gebauer and Holger Stark

Posted on 01/06/2015 1:26:19 AM PST by Olog-hai

In an interview, US General John Allen, Washington’s special envoy for countering the Islamic State, discusses why he believes the recent military campaign has reversed the terrorist group's momentum but warns the battle to stop its ideology could take years. […]

Spiegel: President Obama has stated he wants to “ultimately destroy and dismantle” IS. Was it a mistake to set such a maximalist goal that is almost impossible to reach?

Allen: It's important to have a clear understanding of what we ultimately seek. I don’t believe that the president intended to imply the “annihilation” of Daesh. That is far beyond our thinking in this regard. We want to deny Daesh the ability to have safe havens either in Iraq or, ultimately, in Syria, to preclude its capacity to organize an existential threat to those countries. Annihilation requires a great deal of investment, resources and time. The defeating, dismantling and degrading of Daesh, and ultimately destroying the idea, is the long-term objective. It’s important to understand that what we’re undertaking as a coalition is much bigger, much broader, than simply the military role. The military role is the most conspicuous right now and attracts the most attention. We have five lines of effort that in the end converge to degrade and defeat Daesh: providing military support to our partners; impeding the flow of foreign fighters; stopping IS’s financing and funding; addressing humanitarian crises in the region; and exposing IS’s true nature. …

(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Syria; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: isil; isis; johnallen; obamaisis; rop
Half-measures again.
1 posted on 01/06/2015 1:26:20 AM PST by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

Junior Varsity measures.


2 posted on 01/06/2015 1:31:05 AM PST by xp38
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To: Olog-hai

Nothing worse than a sheep in wolves clothing.


3 posted on 01/06/2015 4:12:54 AM PST by huldah1776
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To: huldah1776

wolf’s (I was going to say, “Ask Mattis,” but I have reservations there, too. Marines love his verbiage.)


4 posted on 01/06/2015 4:16:05 AM PST by huldah1776
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To: Olog-hai

5 posted on 01/06/2015 5:10:01 AM PST by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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