By Christopher Sung ’18

As Iraqi government forces lose ground, ISIS has had arguably its best week this year with the capture of the key Iraqi city of Ramadi and further advances into strategic grounds in the war torn middle-east country of Syria.

It has been nearly a year since the start of this regional crisis and even with U.S. led coalition air strikes, the self-proclaimed global caliphate has shown no signs of ending its devastating insurgency against a weak Iraqi government, filled with corruption and slowed by inefficiency.

For the people of Iraq and to some in Syria this threat has become evident as atrocities are committed one after another with unspeakable brutality and barbarism.

Although the scores of massacres by an extremist terror group represent a direct threat to the people of Iraq and to some in Syria, the more dangerous threat to the future security of these people is the West’s reluctance towards taking necessary action in a region without order.

For the United States and its allies, it is now the clear time for action: for troops to be sent to protect true democracy in a region that has seen only war and dictatorship from one ruthless leader to another.