Top Obama Officials Disagree Over Whether U.S. At War With ISIS

[Purveyor]

Source: TIME

The use of the W-word could have both legal and political implications.

Zeke J Miller @ZekeJMiller 3:29 PM ET

Top Obama Administration officials have publicly given conflicting accounts in recent days over a fundamental question of the new U.S. military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria: Is the nation at war?

With 158 airstrikes carried out on ISIS targets and more than 1,600 troops deployed to Iraq in various capacities, Secretary of State John Kerry told ABC News Thursday that the nation was not in fact at war with the militant group, which has seized vast territory in Syria and Iraq. “No. Look, we’re engaged in a counterterrorism operation of a significant order,” Kerry said. “And counterterrorism operations can take a long time, they go on. I think ‘war’ is the wrong reference term with respect to that, but obviously it involves kinetic military action.” National Security Advisor Susan Rice weighed in Thursday to CNN that “I think, frankly, this is a counterterrorism operation that will take time.”

But by Friday afternoon, the White House and the Pentagon were reversing course. “Make no mistake, we know we are at war with [ISIS], in the same way we are at war, and continue to be at war, with al-Qaeda and its affiliates,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said, referencing a long-term, largely-airborne campaign against the terrorist group.

At the White House, the same word was used. “The United States is at war with [ISIS] in the same way we are at war with al Qaeda and its affiliates,” echoed White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest minutes later. “The United States is at war with [ISIS].”

Read more: http://time.com/3341270/isis-war-obama-iraq-terrorism-isil/

[KamaAina]

1. How the F can you be at war with something that isn't a country?

[cosmicone]

4. We are at war with drugs aren't we? hehehe n/t

[unblock]

6. they are much more like a nation than al qaeda.

they claim to be a nation, and they appear to be trying their hand at local governance.

in truth, many wars are fought against armies where the actions and results of the war itself determine where the borders are and which group controls what.

[KamaAina]

10. What's their capital?

Who's their head of state? What's their currency?

And so on ad nauseam.

[unblock]

11. i didn't say they were a stable, well-established nation!

things are often in flux during times of revolution and civil war and so on.

their effective head of state is their military leader or cabal of leaders. they appear to leave someone effectively in charge of the towns they take over. their currency is whatever they can get their hands on, which mostly seems to be u.s. dollars, sadly. many countries don't have their own currency, thanks to the euro. of course, the u.s. is one big mess historically when it comes to currency.

[Hugabear]

12. They are no more a nation than the Aryan Nation

The white supremacists may claim lots of land in the Pacific Northwest, but calling themselves the Aryan Nation doesn't make them a nation. Any more than ISIS claiming lots of land in the Middle East makes them a nation.

[unblock]

13. i don't think aryan nation has actually captured any towns

whereas there are report, at least, of islamic state having taken over a number of towns and actually trying to run them.

aryan nation, afaik, doesn't claim to be actually running towns, having kicked out or killed representatives of any other jurisdiction.

[arcane1]

9. We declared war on the noun "terror"

[Purveyor]

2. Side note: Just after posting this OP, ABC Radio news made this their lead at

their top of the hour newscast.

[JoePhilly]

3. The term "war" has been overloaded

... for decades.

But the media apparently just noticed.

[99th_Monkey]

5. Hey, it's only a COOASO, not a WAR ...

"Look, we’re engaged in a counterterrorism operation of a significant order", said Sec. John Kerry

What a relief!

[unblock]

8. indeed. long-term massive killing and destruction involving the military. nothing at all like a war!

[arcane1]

7. Does this mean the War On Terror is over?

Isn't this "counterterrorism operation of a significant order" taking place within that context?

[Psephos]

14. "A wise man points at the moon; a fool looks at his finger."

That's a Sufist saying, btw.

Who gives a fuck which word they use.

280 air sorties, 1400 soldiers deployed. Lots more ahead.

You figure it out.

[quadrature]

15. per capita GDP of I.S. higher than that of the Eurozone ...nt

[candelista]

16. From the article: 1,600 troops deployed to Iraq

1600?

Well, the last number I read was 1100. That plus the new 475 is about 1600. But that's already a lot of boots on the ground. And the number keeps going up, but this is the largest increment yet.