How President Trump can defeat ISIS

President Trump has a lot of work to do. Regardless of your feelings for him, his success in solving key issues that face our country is crucial for maintaining order, especially when it comes to national security. At this point, I think it’s fair to assume that terrorism is a legitimate threat to the tranquility and enjoyment of freedom within our democracy. Because ISIS is unique compared to its terrorist companions, the Trump Administration now inherits the incredibly hard task of winning the war on terror.

Before making any suggestions, we must first look at what we are dealing with. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) is the world’s largest growing and most powerful Salafi jihadist militant group that has been responsible for committing devastating acts of terror across the globe. The group abides by the Sunni Islamic fundamentalist doctrine of Wahhabism, which has inspired ISIL and other global terrorist networks to start a “reform movement” toward implementing an ultra-conservative version of the Islamic faith. As a religious revivalist movement that works to bring Muslims back from "foreign accretions" that have corrupted Islam as a completely prescribed way of life, Wahhabism is quite strict in what it considers Islamic behavior. According to ISIL’s ideology, anyone who disagrees with the principles of Wahhabism is considered an infidel, and thus an enemy that the group feels it must wage jihad on. Essentially, scholars believe that this corruption of Islam is derived from the power, influence, and past imperialistic actions of Western Civilizations like the United States.

ISIL was founded in 1999 by Jordanian radical Abu Musab al-ZarqawiIn, and it pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2004. Under al-Zarqawi, the group participated in the Iraqi insurgency following the March 2003 invasion of Iraq by Western forces. Events like the Iraqi War and the Syrian Civil War have allowed ISIL to consume the resulting power vacuum left in the region. Contrary to popular liberal opinion, the group did not start because of the U.S. regime toppling and nation building initiatives undertaken by the Bush Administration. Instead, ISIL has a religious prophecy to fulfill. It is motivated by money, power, and world domination. Its hatred for others does not solely stem from the bombardment of drone strikes and military activity from Western nations.

In 2014, ISIL proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate with Abu Bakr al-Baghadi as its caliph. Although the international community does not acknowledge these declarations, there is no doubt that ISIL is a legitimate terrorist threat with influence that uses social media and the oil black market to its advantage. The most dangerous aspect of ISIL is its ability to indirectly create terror cells domestically in the U.S. and its allies. The attacks on San Bernardino manifested from the radicalization and overarching influence ISIL has on its followers. Its capability in conducting violent acts of terror has been displayed in Paris and Belgium. It injects fear into democratic societies by publicly displaying beheadings and genocide. ISIL is a threat to national security of America and its allies.

Thus, in the name of protecting freedom, liberty and security, our newly inaugurated president must devise a strategy to help in the eradication of ISIL. Religious extremism is similar to the fascist movements during World War II and the spread of communism during the Cold War; containment is not an option. We must forcefully eradicate this ideology. It is in the best interest of the Trump Administration to consider these goals in its foreign policy planning:

Attack the purse. ISIL, unlike its Al-Qaeda predecessors, aspires to create an Islamic caliphate and expand its territorial control to rule large portions of Iraq and Syria. These ambitions require enormous amounts of funding, which provides a vulnerability that United States should exploit. During a speech and debate round in high school regarding the same issue at hand, I was highly criticized for proposing that ISIL must have its funding cut off. I was told that it was a weak point to make. I respectfully disagree. Foreign policy advisors and scholars actually agree with me to a large extent. Destroy anything that must do with ISIS receiving money from black market oil sales. We need our intelligence to find ways to freeze their assets and sanction countries doing business with them. According to the New York Times, ISIL employs approximately 30,000 fighters, with 19,000 from 90 foreign countries, each receiving a salary of $500 a month. That’s an estimated total of 10 to $15,000,000 in employment per month and $180,000,000 per year. CNN reported that black market oil sales are ISlL’s main source of funding (about 30-40 percent), with an approximate revenue of one to two million dollars per day. Not only does eliminating this oil trade substantially decrease funding, but it prohibits ISIL from efficiently using weapons and tanks.

Use diplomacy and leadership to assemble a strong alliance. Let’s make this clear. I don’t like Putin. But the Russian military should not be counted out of this coalition. Putin’s relationship with President Obama was contentious and abysmal. Hopefully, Trump can deliver and use Putin as terror-fighting asset. This same strategy of working with our not so friendly acquaintances (the USSR) helped us win World War II. It already appears that our relationship with Russia has improved. Most importantly, we will also need the full commitment of other European allies in this initiative.

If we can’t identify them, don’t take them. This part is so critical. The FBI has stated numerous times that we do not have profiles on a significant number of refugees coming into our country. In my opinion, the ideas of people who support taking refugees in blindly are dangerous. It’s analogous to letting strangers in your house without taking precautions. A very large percentage of these people are most likely no danger to us at all. But we can’t take on the minute percentage that might be hiding amongst the people who are good. It just goes against common sense. The second an ISIS member enters our borders, we have lost. American lives should be the top priority for this policy. The Trump Administration must use other means of American humanitarian efforts to help these people, which I believe is entirely within the scope of our abilities.