Putin and Obama in deep conversation at G20 summit after Paris

U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Sunday to step up efforts to eliminate Islamic State and prevent more attacks like those in Paris, while urging Russia’s Vladimir Putin to focus on combating the jihadist group in Syria. As we continue to debate how to do so, we can’t ignore recent experience: Expanding wars have a way of not going as planned.

“There should be really thorough screening, and we should focus on creating safe havens for refugees in Syria rather than bringing them all the way across to the United States”, he told MSNBC.

“That’s shameful, that’s not American, that’s not who we are”.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus called Obama’s statements “excuse-laden and defensive”.

What drew the most attention during Obama’s G20 speech was his blunt approach to his critics.

During the press conference in Turkey, Obama defended his strategy to confront ISIS as “the strategy that ultimately is going to work” but said the group can still do serious damage worldwide.

Mr Obama repeatedly stressed that defeating Isil would take time, and rejected accusations that he was dithering.

While not citing his Republican critics by name, Obama said anyone who would like to “pop off” about the Islamic State should “present a certain plan”.

“This is not a traditional military opponent”, Obama added.

“There is still a very big gap but I think there is still some hope that this process could move faster in the future than it has in the past”, he said after meeting Putin.

Obama stated that he doesn’t want the USA to be put in a position where they occupy Syria and Iraq, but where they wouldn’t have a clear way out of the region in case things go south. Based on this, it is believed that an air strike strategy, coordinated with the help of other allied countries will surely be more efficient.

The G-20 gathering, normally an annual gathering to discuss global economic issues, has been dominated by the Paris attacks. “Or Libya, perhaps? Or if there’s a terrorist network that’s operating anywhere else – in North Africa, or in Southeast Asia?”

“That’s not American. That’s not who we are”, Obama said during a news conference at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Turkey. From Turkey, Obama headed to Asia for regional summits in the Philippines and Malaysia.

Criticism of Obama’s strategy for confronting the Islamic State has intensified since the Paris attacks as reaction to the large number of dead and wounded across that city generated an emotional response inside of France and around the world. He said reducing the territory controlled by the Islamic State group, or ISIS, in Iraq and Syria will reduce the flow of fighters and lessen the threat it poses.

He said the US would not end its plan to accept thousands of Syrian refugees into the country, even as European authorities say one of the attackers in Paris entered Europe as part of the wave of migrants fleeing to the continent to escape the four-year civil war in Syria. ISIL is the face of evil.

“If there was a swift and quick solution to this, I assure you that not just the United States, but France and Turkey and others who have been subject to these terrorist attacks would have implemented those strategies”, he said.

Asked whether the USA had advance warning of the Paris attacks, Obama said that while American intelligence regularly detects hints of possible threats, “there were no specific mentions of this particular attack that would give” law enforcement or the military the chance to disrupt the plot.