The Rebels Can Defeat ISIS – and the UK’s Involvement in Syria Will Help

If there is one lesson that should be learned from more than a decade of combating Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its previous incarnations, it is that no amount of foreign force can defeat the organization without enlisting the help of an armed local resistance. Its foremost strategy is built around the objective of subduing locals and leaving them with no viable alternatives. It has largely succeeded in doing so in Iraq and, as the world fails to grasp this reality, it is making headway in much of Syria.

As Britain reflects on the wisdom of its decision to participate in the US-led campaign to 'degrade and ultimately defeat' ISIS in Syria, that formula should be the premise of any such move. And the UK has much to offer in this regard.

The programmes Britain is already carrying out to support the opposition in Syria should be expanded and highlighted to the public.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: PM response to FAC report on British military operations in Syria http://www.europeansources.info/record/pm-response-to-fac-report-on-british-military-operations-in-syria-british-parliament-authorises-airstrikes-against-militants-in-syria/

Chatham House: Podcast, 03.12.15: UK Air Strikes in Syria: What Happens Next? https://www.chathamhouse.org/file/uk-air-strikes-syria-what-happens-next

---