Summary:
As the attacks on Paris comes to an end, we see parallels of the actions of ISIS and the actions of Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization that was responsible for 9/11 and bringing us to war in the middle east. When interviewing youth in Europe, most described ISIS’s acts as acts of “terrorism”, which does not truly capture what ISIS is trying to do. In fact, ISIS is trying to infiltrate into western societies and “cultivate support” through social media and underground connections. They are trying to gain the attention of youth who would be attracted to the rebellious opportunities ISIS is offering to them.
Furthermore, ISIS is trying to attack the US indirectly by showing the flaws in our centralized power system. In times of crisis, the people always look to the government for support and instruction. During the attack on Paris, ISIS exposed that the US government is hesitant to act on foreign affairs so the question remains how should the US respond to the Paris attacks
Questions:
Should the US take a more active role in containing ISIS in Europe, or work to prevent ISIS from infiltrating into the US? What actions could be taken to prevent the western youth from being influenced by ISIS?
It may have showed weakness in the American government, but we also have to pick our battles. At this point, we shouldn't get directly involved but we still need to try to freeze their assets and hinder them as much as we can. We assume that ISIS would attack us, so we shouldn't undermine their strength. However, we have more pressing matters on the home front. We just have to promote education in western europe so they understand the whole predicament and make a sound decision.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both can be achieved. However, Europe is outside the domain of the United States, meaning that America can only really take on an advising role. On a broader scale, all western nations need to take action to begin providing for their mostly disenfranchised muslim minorities, instead of ignoring them. Although direct discrimination is not common, many Muslim communities are stuck in the cycle of intense poverty and unemployment. Without opportunities, it is not surprising that some young muslim men would be attracted to fundamentalism as a way out. To curb this cycle, governments need to take a much more active role in helping these communities. In short, less surveillance, more financial support.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Aina; I believe that the United States government needs to learn to pick its battles wisely. We cannot help hands on in Europe because we have our own affairs to tend to. But that does not mean we can ignore Europe's problems completely. We must help where we can. The government's main priority should be to contain ISIS and to ensure the safety of its citizens. I believe the best way to prevent ISIS's influence is to educate the youth and have them understand the true dangers of not just ISIS, but also the world.
ReplyDeleteAlthough what happened in Paris is devastating, I believe that it is not the United State's job to respond to these attacks. I believe that there is much more to do before we jump into being directly involved and starting a war with troops on the ground. I think that education is the best way to prevent western youth from being influenced by ISIS if our youth is aware they will not be easily influenced.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would be in the country's best interest to go to war with ISIS however I also don't think that we should remain completely neutral. ISIS has made their violent intentions clear and for that matter, we should do as much as we can to hinder their movements. Also, making sure that the youth know about the intentions of ISIS and the harm they have inflicted upon their own citizens is important if it is true that they intend to gain American individuals to join their movement.
ReplyDeleteI do believe these attacks have showed some flaws within the government, but our government is set up to be more flexible with changing times so certain flaws are inevitable. The US should give support to Europe, but shouldn't lose focus on taking preventive measures to protect the US if ISIS does decide to attack. The hard part about ISIS is a lot of influence is spread through technology. As of now the most preventive measures is blocking ISIS social media influence. This block will prevent infiltration and protect US citizens.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Aina, I think we need to play on the safe side here and try to protect the citizens of America. The most we can do is support Paris and other European countries in their time of need, I don't believe that we have to get directly involved. To prevent ISIS from influencing young Americans, we should inform them on everything ISIS stands for and all the damage the group has done. I think that miseducating our youth is what is going to cause the most damage.
ReplyDeleteWhile the US seems to have a moral responsibility to help those in Europe, its main priority is to protect its own people. While we can support the Europeans countries indirectly, I don't believe that it is the safest decision to directly involve ourselves in the conflict in Europe. While it is clear that ISIS is trying to indirectly affect us by showing our weaknesses, we can't let it affect us and should mainly focus on protecting the homefront.
ReplyDeleteThe United States needs to protect its own before it can protect others. We have already become involved in foreign affairs involving ISIS. Although we could be doing a better more efficient job in doing so, it is still involvement. The primary goal in every war or attack is to protect oneself and our own. Not immediately helping Paris is completely justifiable. However, I do believe we should be taking more initiative in Paris to help support them as well as contain ISIS. In order to prevent western youth from being influenced by ISIS, there may have to be propaganda speaking out against ISIS and also exploiting their true intentions to show that western youth would be nothing more than a pawn to ISIS.
ReplyDeleteThe best we can do in order to help the EU is to share intelligence with them as well as work more closely through the coalition against IS. The U.S., on the other hand, has been doing a remarkable job with protection the nation from physical infiltration by ISIS. However, that is not good enough when the group is managing to win over supporters currently living in America to its cause. Given that a large amount of people who are attracted to the terrorist organization are youths who don't know better, mandatory instruction and lectures through schools that focus on deterring potential supporters from following through would be ideal.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important for the US to focus on problems within its own borders first. It is important for the government to help Europe but our own problems should be our top priority. It will not be the safest strategy to involve ourselves in Europe instead of focusing on our own personal safety. The best route to prevent ISIS's influence is to educate the youth. I am not suggesting propaganda against ISIS, but instead, teach the youth both sides and let them form their own opinions.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the US has a moral responsibility to help the people of Europe, but have a greater responsibility to protect its own people from the dangers. I don't think we should get very involved in order to keep our people away from the world's problems. The US should definitely side and support Europe and can help without crossing boarders. We need to educate the youth about the harm of ISIS and the damage it has made on several groups of people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with James' theory on education. It is very easy to spout information about why westerners should not join the rebel troop, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it will sink into the minds of youth. Instead, we need to provide reasons, whether crafted through propaganda or not. The paris attacks and many other events serve as ideal empathy-creators. As insensitive as it may sound, it would be wise of the US government to utilize these circumstances in order to attempt to prevent American citizens from joining ISIS.
ReplyDeleteI think that we should help Europe because if we stop them in Europe it won't spread to the U.S. Also if we contain them in Europe we can try and isolate the threat. I think that we need to educate the youth on what happens if they get involved with ISIS, and what will happen if they join ISIS. The best way is to also check on social media and monitor what the youth are doing.
ReplyDeleteWe need to stop them in Europe by freezing their assets and cutting off their connections. This way we can worry less about ISIS infiltrating the US and its youth. We need to communicate more with Europe and find out a course of action everyone can agree on. A way to stop the spread to the youths in American is to do what Anonymous is doing and try to monitor social media. We should also find a way to educate the youths more and more about what exactly ISIS stands for, what their goal is, and who they are trying to attack.
ReplyDeleteWhile I would like to say that the U.S. should take more of a role in containing ISIS, the fact is we haven't had much success in doing so. The wars in the Middle East have proved that, as even today the U.S. lacks the power to do so. However, it would be wise to try to assist other countries in containing ISIS, but rather than sending troops, we should send supplies and possibly funding if possible. If we want to keep the "Western Youth" from being influenced by ISIS, than what we should do is focus on educating people on who they are, so they can see why they are terrorists, and so they understand not to be influenced by them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the U.S. is not directly responsible for containing ISIS in Europe. We should be pushing European leaders to take an active role in containing their own countries since the U.S. has to contain its borders at the same time. Many of our youth are being influenced by ISIS over social media such as Facebook which is something that can be addressed by our intelligence agencies.
ReplyDelete