The War against the ISIS Juggernaut-- Utsav Gagwani

This past week, media outlets across the world were splayed with similar headlines; the Sultanahmet bombing in Istanbul, the strafe in Jakarta, and the Pakistani embassy shooting in Jalalabad (Afghanistan). While all these attacks were carried out in different time zones, the perpetrators and their motives were the same: ISIS and their quest for advancing their fanatical supremacy.

What was once turned down as an internal (and ephemeral) Syrian crisis has now snowballed into a global cause for concern. Between their beheading of Syrian Christians in early 2015 to the November shootings in Paris and last week’s attacks in southwestern Asia, ISIS have notoriously emerged as the most culpable threat to international peace and security. And as is self-evident, the only effective way to contain the global menace of ISIS is to establish a global coalition. 

In the war against ISIS, most of the battle calls for a strong military and security foundation. From on-site combat troops in IS territory to ever-vigilant security measures (stringent border checks, transnational intelligence exchange, et al); garnering military and security might is the most important step towards defeating ISIS; albeit military containment is but a means to the end.

Against ISIS, the battle is as much psychological as it is physical. Consistent attacks within a short span of time, although stretching across the world serve as a systematic method of progression for the terrorist organization. First were the attacks in France and the subsequent standoff in Belgium, followed by the multiple ISIS bombings in Southwest Asia last week. And now, one would not be deluded to assume that ISIS would next try and disrupt peace in the Americas. Here emerges a plausible chain of pattern. By attacking the nerve centers of continental superpowers, ISIS sows consternation among the psyche by portraying itself as a ubiquitous threat to security. As such, the terrorist outfit places equal impetus on psychological warfare.

Although restricting ISIS’s sphere of influence (either militarily or psychologically) alone cannot constitute a ‘win’ for us. It is the protection of innocent lives and preservation of peace that ranks paramount.   

              

"The views expressed by the author are purely personal, and not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Political Science, Mithibai College."