Time for the New Commander-in-Chief to Lead

From a passenger airplane being shot down over Ukraine to violence spreading at an alarming rate in the Middle East, newspaper headlines in recent months have become increasingly disturbing.

Unfortunately, in a time when the world is becoming more insecure, President Obama’s foreign policy strategy can be boiled down to three words: to be determined.

The recent murder by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) of two American journalists in Syria has served as a sobering realization that President Obama’s response, or lack thereof, to rising terrorist activities has failed.

We have learned that President Obama has been receiving detailed intelligence on the rise of the ISIS for more than a year.

And yet, as recently as August 29, the President has been saying that the United States does not “have a strategy yet” to respond to this terrorist organization.

With ISIS recruiting heavily in Western nations like the United Kingdom and Canada, the threat is clearly not isolated to our allies across the Middle East, but also to Americans here at home.

We cannot afford for the President to sit on the sidelines while ISIS gains ground.

We have already seen how President Obama’s inability to commit to a comprehensive course of action in Iraq has led to serious deterioration of security on the ground, and now the same indecisiveness has shaped the strategy towards Syria.

While Iraq must step up and take responsibility for its own security, I believe that the President must show strong leadership, and work with our partners in the region to defeat attempts by terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and ISIS to gain influence in the area.

Unfortunately, the turmoil doesn’t end there. In Ukraine, the unrest continues to escalate with recent reports of Russia sending troops and armor to assist rebels in eastern Ukraine. The President’s lack of a strong response – or leadership in the global community in general – has empowered Russia to continue its pursuits in Ukraine.

It is past time for our Commander-in-Chief to serve as a leader on international security issues and develop a comprehensive strategy that brings together a coalition of countries and includes diplomatic, political and military efforts. I urge the President to explain to the American people what is at stake, what our objectives are, lay out a strategy, and engage Congress in order to best protect American interests.