ISIS is utilising social media to recruit new members and to project and display its influence abroad. ISIS is hoping to instil fear, and generate a sense of power in the eyes of the global community – and they are succeeding.
We watch helplessly as innocent Christians are being slaughtered and women are sold into slavery. Two weeks ago 21 Coptic Christians were beheaded on a beach in Libya.
Where is the political counterstrike?
Why isn't American President Barack Obama doing anything about ISIS' implementation of social media to advance itself? France has started ad campaigns to target youth who might be enticed by the ISIS message online. This conveys a counter narrative to the ISIS propaganda to dissuade sympathetic Muslim youth from leaving for Syria to fight. I'm sure Obama could say the word and the FBI would contact all the providers hosting ISIS media to have the online content removed.
According to the Washington Institute, private Saudi donors have funded hundreds of millions of dollars into Syria in the last four years, including to ISIS and other groups. The Obama administration could do a lot more to put pressure on the Saudi government to deal with these private contributions funnelled to terrorist groups. The administration knows exactly who those donors are.
Oil and the war against ISIS
Another source of important income for ISIS is the oil they are selling off cheap on the black-market to countries like Turkey. Again the U.S knows exactly where that crude oil is stored for export and could easily defund the terrorists with a few tactical strikes.
Recently the Saudis have been waging economic warfare on the west by artificially reducing oil prices, as a means to undermine the burgeoning fracking boom.
Fracking has led to, and is likely to increase, the oil independence of many western nations. Instead of having to import it from the Middle East and Russia, fracking makes the retrieval of oil reserves from inside shale-rock plentifully available.
It's about time western nations stop giving money to those who harbour and fund terrorists with the money we give them. Taking out ISIS oil repositories should reduce supply and bring oil prices back up to near normal again – which would stabilise the fracking industry and improve the prospect of western oil independence.
On a side note: Iran stores 98% of its crude exports on the island of Kharg, off the Iranian coast, and an Israeli or American strike here would also derail its nuclear programme for good – which might very well be on the agenda for Israel.
Decisive action needed
Air strikes on ISIS infantry do not seem to be effective at substantially degrading
them, but at this point only seems to provoke retaliation by lone-wolves amidst us who are loyal to their cause.
There have been moments where decisive action might have truly decimated ISIS forces, but the reluctance to bring troops in has only enabled them to grow in numbers and power.
Compared to the military might of larger nations, ISIS is a relatively weak force and could be substantially wiped out in a few months if a coalition of troops were sent in to destroy them. But at this moment Obama only seems to be pretending to do anything about the problem.
The Church needs to raise its voice to condemn the inhumane and savage treatment of its own. We need to do all we can to repel this tide of evil. Much of the Church sits idly by ignoring much of what goes on outside its own walls -- enjoying our self-edifying sheltered lifestyles. Our preoccupation is often focussed on feeling good and working through our own issues during a Sunday service, but we forget the plight and suffering of the persecuted.
Some of us are also too concerned with being normal and fitting in so we are reluctant to express any indignation or any emotion at all about those who are committing these atrocities, because it doesn't directly concern us. Praying is at least a start but for those of us who feel strongly about this topic, our representatives should know that we staunchly support destroying ISIS swiftly and brutally.
Credit to Robert Zubrin for his insights here.
Amos is an evangelical conservative, who cares about where the world is going, and seeks to understand why it is happening, especially in light of prophecy and the spiritual powers behind the scenes. Amos currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Amos pursues salvation for the lost, and considers himself a defender of traditional Christian values, liberal democracy and the historically unprecedented freedom and liberty established and defended by our forebears – which unfortunately, is gradually being eroded.
Amos Sale's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/amos-sale.html
