What Should Be Done About ISIS? And Who Should Do It?

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27. The arguments for intervention in the case of a civil war,

and counter-intervention in the case of a foreign occupation are indeed different. Which of these applies here is murky. ISIS is neither unambiguously a foreign power nor a local political community. If ISIS is considered as a foreign power, then the case for counter-intervention by other foreign powers becomes easier, although violating the prohibition against crossing boundaries is never something to be taken lightly.

In either case, the utmost respect must be given to the country's right of self determination. Intervention should never be undertaken in an attempt to fulfill foreign objectives. The outcome of a civil war should reflect the local alignment of forces and not the relative strengths of intervening states.

I think an appropriate response from the U.S. might be to continue with proportional engagement.