Obama: Yeah, we’re not going to change our ISIS strategy after Paris

“The attacks in Paris remind us that it will not be enough to defeat ISIL in Syria and Iraq alone”, Obama said. “They have not gained ground in Iraq”, he said. “We’re now working with Syrian forces as well to squeeze ISIL, cut off their supply lines”. Then, just last Friday, he said ISIS had been “contained”.

Roughly 3,500 US troops are in Iraq advising their military and the Kurds, and in Syria, the U.S.is providing weapons and supplies to groups fighting ISIS. It’s time to change that course, secure the safety of our homeland and preserve our democratic values. He is reaching out to Russian Federation and Iran, who are supporting the Bashar Assad regime in Syria, explaining that ultimately, an organization like ISIL is the greatest danger to them, as well as to us.

Michael O’Hanlon, a national security analyst with the Brookings Institution, agrees with the president on that view, though he said he would like to see a different emphasis in the future for American military personnel in Syria.

Obama told reporters the USA has been anxious about “these kinds of attacks”, but said there was no specific intelligence of the Paris attack that the US could have passed on to French authorities or acted on itself. One aspect of the USA strategy that has generally failed is the effort to train and build up a force in Syria.

Yesterday, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said he would refuse Syrian refugees trying to enter the state.

In critiquing the Republicans overall, Obama said that “some of them seem to think that if I were just more bellicose in expressing what we’re doing, that that would make a difference – because that seems to be the only thing that they’re doing, is talking as if they’re tough”.

The French strikes were similar to those carried out by Jordan earlier this year following the execution by ISIS of a downed Jordanian pilot.

Donald Trump has said that he would “bomb the shit” out of ISIS, but he has been generally vague on details beyond that-though if you ask him, vagueness is actually his intention.

President Obama condemned the attacks and the leaders promised a strong response against ISIS. Marco Rubio has criticized the current strategy while coincidentally offering a plan that looks very similar to the current strategy.

ISIS has claimed it was behind the massacres that killed at least 129 people.

The attacks have made governors of several states in the U.S. increasingly hesitant to accept refugees, despite President Obama saying he will not cease accepting refugees. He reiterated his view that using local forces to fight ISIS is the most effective way to build stability and prevent a resurgence.

He grew more frustrated after members of the press repeatedly questioned his detached demeanor when speaking about the attacks in Paris and his commitment to root out ISIS.

“Here at the G-20, our nations have sent an unmistakable message, that we are united against this threat”, Obama said. Or Libya, perhaps? Or if there is a terrorist network that is operating anywhere else in North Africa or in Southeast Asia. After that, it’s imperative that the Obama administration starts taking ISIS’ expansion more seriously. Ted Cruz, who suggested the United States simply help the Christians.