The mission to tackle the most pernicious form of militancy to have taken root in the Arab world has begun. The US and its Arab coalition — that includes UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain — struck Daesh (otherwise known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or Isil) targets in Syria on Tuesday night, launching one of the most complex but imperative international endeavours. The message behind this move is powerful and unambiguous: No form of terrorism must be, and will be, tolerated by the international community in its constant march towards all-round stability.
The coming together of western and Arab powers in a breakthrough collaboration not seen before in the region reiterates this abhorrence for extreme groups like Daesh. This unanimity of belief against Daesh, it must be stressed, is not based on any ethnic or religious biases. On the contrary, it is a commitment to ensure that the region be freed from rogue ideologies that hinder its march towards progress. Entities like Daesh are the very antithesis of what the Arab world believes in — stability, strength, economic growth and peace and prosperity for all its people. And the campaign is aligned to uphold all these aspirations. The ability of Daesh to lure recruits from an international base and foment extreme ideological anarchy potentially around the world, accelerates the need to deracinate it. However, in doing so, the US, as the leader of the campaign, must also be keenly aware of the possible fallouts of getting distracted in any way by its own ambitions in the region. It is critical that the focus be on Daesh so the latter can be debilitated as swiftly as possible. Any prolongation in this regard could well lead to negative consequences that will include increased collateral damage, a heightened sense of distress among the Sunnis and more uncertainty for the region.
Once Daesh is rendered ineffective, it will be opportune to examine the conditions that gave rise to evil forces like it and ensure that the geopolitical reality of the region creates no more conditions for their incubation. Right now, however, it is time to root out Daesh.
