Posted on 10/02/2014 3:01:12 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
The United States has yet to explain exactly what victory might look like in its war against the Islamic State group, but it is becoming clear that success will depend heavily on political events in Syria and Iraq that are beyond its control, experts say.
The US strategy to "destroy" the IS jihadists is predicated on a series of high-stakes gambles that could take years to play out, particularly in Syria, where Washington is betting it can forge a dominant "moderate" rebel force.
The US administration is "recognising that it is going to take a long time even in the best case scenario," Karl Mueller, senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation think tank, told AFP.
Despite dramatic images of fighter jets bombing jihadist targets, President Barack Obama and his commanders have warned repeatedly that Americans should brace themselves for a years-long struggle and that the initial air raids will not produce miracles.
"I think this is going to be a generational challenge," Obama said this week.
(Excerpt) Read more at au.news.yahoo.com ...
When they are ALL dead.
Piles of dead ISIS.
The only victory is the Star Trek solution*.
*Q: “Why aren’t there any muslims on Star Trek?”
A: “Because it takes place in the future.”
We will never see it.
This is going to be a fight that will take DECADES...
UNLESS SOMEONE has the guts to fight them like the USA USED to fight wars - ALL OUT and to WIN ASAP.
But that will never happen. We’re a pansified nation on both sides of the aisle nowadays.
I am thinking either piles of dead bodies or a glass bowl shaped crater.
Victory = “The Levant” populated by Christians and Jews.
American flags flying over the governor's palace in Riyadh and Islamabad, and the Pope consecrating Our Lady of Arabia cathedral in Mecca.
There is no IS. There is Wahabism and Deobandism, and that is the enemy which we must defeat, or be defeated.
First, to BEGIN competing against ISIS, we must change the resident in the White House.
Then, when he is gone, when Kerry is gone, when Clinton is gone, when Jarrett is gone, when Hagel is gone ....Then, and only then, can we BEGIN fighting the war against out foreign enemies.
damn right... 
It would also smell like napalm.
We will not be able to defeat ISIL with the current battle plan! We can make them keep their heads down but that’s about it. They will be able to conduct ground operation with little restriction, their plan should be and probably is, get inside the enemies wire, close combat, thus eliminating prospects for close air support. If you can’t distinguish friend from foe air cover becomes in-effective!
Trick question, Obama and Kerry don’t think that America should ever win a war.
Bush realized that and set up the framework to stick it out - Obama unraveled it because getting out was more important than success. Someone ought to point it out to him during an interview. Obama added 20 years to the project and no telling what ills will scourge the world because of him.
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