By Truman Ruberti ’16, Staff Writer

ISIS, the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria”, is a militant group whose mission statement is to create a unified Muslim Middle East. It came to our attention at the beginning of the summer for its extreme prejudice and brutality. Since then, the group has gained frightening momentum. This may seem to be more or less business as usual to the Middle East, which is no stranger to violence and rogue militant groups. What makes it different from other groups, however, is that it is exceptionally well funded. ISIS kidnaps journalists and foreign citizens and demands massive six or seven-figure ransoms that enables them to purchase state-of-the-art military hardware capable of rivaling even well-equipped US soldiers.

ISIS is gaining territory and is set on world conquest. Although the group has existed since 2004, created in the wake of the US invasion of Iraq, it has only recently become as aggressive as it is today. As of now, it controls enough land to stretch from central Illinois to the coast of North Carolina, and lays claim to over half of the combined land of Iraq and Syria, including Falluja, Mosul, and large portions of land around the Euphrades and Tigris rivers. Before that, the militants were allied with Al-Qaeda until Al-Qaeda severed ties due to ISIS’s extreme brutality.

The Islamic State’s power is forcing nations with rocky relationships to fight together against the group. ISIS is significantly better funded than Al-Qaeda, thanks to a steady flow of money from sympathetic, rich investors from surrounding Middle Eastern countries, as well as from hostage negotiations, according to NBC news. Other Middle Eastern countries, ones which ISIS is declaring that it wants to bring under its command, have taken serious notice of ISIS’s actions. Many feel understandably threatened by ISIS, and countries like Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, all of which the US has had rocky relationships with in the past, may be more inclined to partner with the US.

Obama’s decision on how to handle ISIS has been very controversial, and in a community as politically-charged as Newark Academy, people have a lot to say. However, despite argument between both sides, most people agree that ISIS needs to be stopped. ISIS’s murder of Jews, Christians, and other Muslims has left the Middle East in terror. Erin Viola ’16, president of the Young Democrats club, said, “They systematically murder people based on ethnicity which qualifies as genocide. I’m a pacifist, but as a Jew, I take ‘never again’ seriously. ISIS should be stopped from committing further crimes against humanity”. As of now, the US has tried to remain supportive, yet distant. So far, there have only been strategic airstrikes against ISIS, and currently there are no boots on the ground. Some people, however, question whether or not this could have been avoided. “President Obama made a mistake when he took out all troops from Iraq, leaving the government and the people vulnerable to such attacks. His policy as it stands now is a good one; however, all of this could have been avoided if the US maintained a strong influence in the region” Elias Neibart’16, an outspoken member of the Young Republicans club, said. Still, despite the controversy, whether or not it will be necessary to put troops on the ground remains to be seen. Mr. Parlin, Newark Academy’s resident historian said, “Obama’s [options] regarding ISIS are all bad. There are no good choices, but I think he has chosen the least bad choice. He has been criticized by some who say he has not realized the need for American ground troops, and I think that we won’t know for sure the need for ground troops for some time. He perhaps has made a mistake to rule out ground troops so explicitly and definitively, but for the present, he has made the right decision.”

The Islamic State are not a rag-tag terrorist group that can be defeated quickly. They are a well-funded, well-organized, and well-trained army. As fighting increases in ferocity and as more parties get involved, the situation only becomes more complicated. The United States will have to continuously adjust its policy to find a medium between doing what is necessary and not being pulled into another drawn-out conflict.