ນຶ່ງມື້ຫລັງຈາກປະທານາທິບໍດີ Barack Obama ໄດ້ກ່າວຢ້ຳ
ເຖິງຄວາມໝັ້ນໝາຍທີ່ຈະເອົາຊະນະພວກຫົວຮຸນແຮງລັດອິສ
ລາມ ບັນດາສະມາຊິກສະພາ ສູງສັງກັດພັກຣີພັບບລິກັນໄດ້
ສະແດງຄວາມບໍ່ດີໃຈອອກມາກ່ຽວກັບຍຸດທະສາດ ຂອງລັດ
ຖະບານ. ນັກຂ່າວວີໂອເອ Micheal Bowman ລາຍງານວ່າ
ລັດຖະ ມົນຕີປ້ອງກັນປະເທດທ່ານ Ash Carter ແລະປະ
ທານເສນາທິການຮ່ວມຂອງ ກອງທັບສະຫະລັດ ນາຍພົນ
Martin Dempsey ໄດ້ຖືກຊັກຖາມຢ່າງຂຸ້ນຂ້ຽວ ໂດຍຄະ
ນະກຳມະການກອງທັບ ຂອງສະພາສູງ ໃນການຮັບຟັງຄຳ
ໃຫ້ການເມື່ອວັນອັງຄານທີ່ຜ່ານມາ. ກິ່ງສະຫວັນມີລາຍລະ
ອຽດມາສະເໜີທ່ານກ່ຽວກັບເລື້ອງ ນີ້.
“ຄວາມເພີ້ຝັນ” ເປັນສິ່ງທີ່ປະທານຄະນະກຳມະການກອງທັບຂອງສະພາສູງ ທ່ານ John
McCain ສະຫລຸບກ່ຽວກັບແຜນຂອງປະທານາທິບໍດີ ທີ່ຈະກຳຈັດພວກຫົວຮຸນແຮງ ຢູ່ໃນ
ອີຣັກ ແລະຊີເຣຍ.
ທ່ານ McCain ກ່າວວ່າ “ພວກເຮົາບໍ່ໄດ້ຮັບໄຊຊະນະ. ແລະເວລາໃດທີ່ທ່ານບໍ່ໄດ້ໄຊຊະ
ນະສົງຄາມແມ່ນທ່ານເສຍໄຊ. ກຸ່ມ ISIL ບໍ່ແມ່ນສູງເຖິງ 3 ແມັດ. ມັນສາມາດ ແລະຈະ
ຕ້ອງເອົາໄຊຊະນະໃຫ້ໄດ້ ແຕ່ວ່າ ນັ້ນຈະບໍ່ເກີດຂື້ນ ຖ້າຫາກພວກເຮົາ ຍັງມີຄວາມເພີ້ຝັນ
ໃນຕົວເຮົາເອງ ກ່ຽວກັບການສູ້ລົບຂອງເຮົາໃນປັດຈຸບັນ.”
ລັດຖະມົນຕີປ້ອງກັນປະເທດ Carter ໄດ້ໃຫ້ລາຍລະອຽດ ກ່ຽວກັບວິທີການທີ່ ນຳໃຊ້
ຫລາຍໆຢ່າງ.
“ທຳອິດ ແລະເປັນທີ່ໂຕ້ຖຽງໄດ້ ແນວທາງທີ່ສຳຄັນສຸດ ແມ່ນຄວາມພະຍາຍາມ
ດ້ານການເມືອງ. ແນວທາງດັ່ງກ່າວນີ້ ພົວພັນກັບການເສີມສ້າງລັດຖະບານ ທີ່ມີ
ປະສິດທິຜົນຫລາຍຂື້ນ ປະກອບດ້ວຍຫລາຍຝ່າຍ ແລະທີ່ຫລາຍກຸ່ມສາສະໜາ
ຢູ່ໃນອີຣັກ.”
ທ່ານ McCain ໄດ້ໂຕ້ຖຽງວ່າ ຄວາມພະຍາຍາມດັ່ງກ່າວ ບໍ່ເປັນທີ່ພຽງພໍ.
ສະມາຊິກສະພາສູງ McCain ກ່າວວ່າ “ປະທານາທິບໍດີ ງົມງາຍວ່າ ເປັນຄວາມຈິງ
ທີ່ບໍ່ມີການແກ້ໄຂທາງທະຫານ ຕໍ່ກຸ່ມບັນຫາກຸ່ມ ISIL ຫລືບັນຫາອຶ່ນໆ. ສິ່ງທີ່
ທ່ານຜິດພາດຢູ່ເລື້ອຍໆ ກໍຍ້ອນບໍ່ຫລິງເຫັນວ່າ ບາງຄັ້ງບາງຄາວການໃຊ້ກຳລັງ
ທະຫານທີ່ສຳຄັນ ກໍສາມາດບັນລຸ ການແກ້ໄຂທາງດ້ານການເມືອງໄດ້."
ນາຍພົນ Dampsey ກ່າວວ່າ ແຕ່ໃດມາ ທ່ານບໍ່ໄດ້ສະເໜີໃຫ້ສະຫະລັດ ສົ່ງກຳລັງ
ທະຫານ ທາງພາກພື້ນດິນໄປສູ້ລົບ.
ນາຍພົນ Dampsey ປະທານເສນາທິການຮ່ວມຂອງກອງທັບສະຫະລັດ ກ່າວວ່າ
“ສະຖຽນລະພາບທີ່ໝັ້ນຄົງ ບໍ່ສາມາດທີ່ຈະບັງຄັບໃຫ້ມີຂຶ້ນໄດ້ ໃນພາກຕາເວັນ
ອອກກາງ ຈາກພາຍນອກເຂົ້າໄປໃນ. ລູກປືນເງິນພິເສດ ກໍຄືເຮັດໃຫ້ຊາວອີຣັກ
ທຳການຕໍ່ສູ້ເພື່ອໂຕເອງ.”
ສະມາຊິກພັກເດໂມແຄຣັດ ໃນຄະນະກຳມະການ ກ່າວວ່າ ປະຫວັດສາດ ບໍ່ຄວນຈະຊໍ້າ
ຮອຍຄືນອີກ.
ສະມາຊິກສະພາສູງ Jack Reed ກາວວ່າ “ຫຼາຍໆພາກສ່ວນແລະບຸກລະລິກ ລັກ
ສະນະທີ່ປະກອບເປັນກຸ່ມ ISIL ນັ້ນສາມາດນຳຮອຍກັບຄືນໄປຫາການບຸກລຸກ
ໃນປີ 2003 ແລະຍຶດຄອງອີຣັກ.”
ຢູ່ທີ່ທຳນຽບຫ້າແຈ ໃນວັນຈັນທີ່ຜ່ານມານີ້ ປະທານາທິບໍດີ Obama ໄດ້ໃຫ້ຂໍ້ ສັງເກດ
ວ່າ ແນວໂຮມໄດ້ປະຕິບັດງານໂຈມຕີທາງອາກາດຫລາຍກວ່າ 5000 ຖ້ຽວ ຕໍ່ທີ່ໝັ້ນກຸ່ມ
ລັດອິສລາມ. ແຕ່ທ່ານໄດ້ອະທິບາຍການສູ້ລົບວ່າເປັນການດິ້ນ ລົນຂອງ “ຍຸກສະໄໝ”
ກັບຄວາມຄືບໜ້າ ແລະຖອຍຫລັງ.
Republican senators vented frustrations over U.S. efforts to fight Islamic State radicals, also known as ISIL, and grilled Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, at an Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday.
Senator John McCain, the committee's chairman, blasted as "delusional" President Barack Obama's reiteration of U.S. strategy at the Pentagon Monday.
"We are not winning. And when you are not winning in war, you are losing," McCain said. "ISIL is not 10-feet [3 meters] tall. It can be and must be defeated; but, that will never happen if we continue to delude ourselves about our current campaign."
Secretary Carter said America will deal IS "a lasting defeat" in Iraq and Syria through multiple lines of effort.
"The first and arguably the most critical line of effort is the political one," Carter said. "This line involves building more effective, inclusive and multi-sectarian governance in Iraq. At the same time, the United States continues to work diplomatically to bring about a political transition from Bashar al-Assad to a more inclusive [Syrian] government with which we can also work to defeat ISIL."
Some Republicans have long urged the deployment of U.S. Special Forces to help battle Islamic State fighters on the ground in Iraq. McCain criticized President Obama for ruling out ground combat forces.
"The president is fond of the truism that there is no military solution to ISIL or any other problem," McCain said. "What he has so often failed to realize is that there is sometimes a major military dimension to achieving a political solution."
Another Republican, Jeff Sessions, said President Obama's 2008 campaign pledge not to embroil the United States in another ground war in the Middle East must yield to current day realities.
"At some point, the president is going to have to change his mind," Sessions said. "He cannot just function based on a campaign promise when reality is different."
In the past, General Dempsey told the committee he would not hesitate to recommend combat forces if and when the situation requires them. So far, he said, he has made no such recommendation to the president.
"Military power alone, as we have said, will not solve ISIL," Dempsey said. "Enduring stability cannot be imposed in the Middle East from the outside in. The fight is enabled by the coalition, but it must be owned by those regional stakeholders."
The general added that Special Forces "are not a silver bullet to the destruction of ISIL. The silver bullet is getting the Iraqis to fight."
To that end, President Obama has boosted U.S. personnel to train and equip Iraqi soldiers. Earlier this year, Carter questioned the mettle of Iraq's security forces, saying they lack "the will to fight." At Tuesday's hearing, the defense secretary acknowledged that an effort to train moderate Syrian fighters had fallen short of recruiting goals.
The committee's top Democrat, Senator Jack Reed, said the current debate cannot ignore the history of America's involvement in Iraq.
"Many of the factors and personalities forming ISIL can be traced to the [2003] invasion and occupation of Iraq.," Reed said. "Planning for that war failed to account for deep-seated sectarian divisions between Sunni and Shia within the region, which gave rise to grievances that fueled the rise of ISIL."
At the Pentagon Monday, President Obama noted that coalition forces have conducted more than 5,000 airstrikes against Islamic State positions. He predicted a long-term struggle with progress and setbacks.
"Ideologies are not defeated with guns. They are defeated with better ideas," Mr. Obama said. "This larger battle for hearts and minds is going to be a generational struggle. It is ultimately not going to be won or lost by the United States alone. It will be decided by the countries and the communities that terrorists like ISIL [Islamic State] target."
Tuesday, Senator McCain summed up his critique this way: "Our means and our current level of effort are not aligned with our ends."
