The defeat of ISIS In Mosul

The fall of Mosul feels good but could mean nothing long term. 

Those who grew up on the original trilogy of Star Wars movies will remember Obi Wan Kenobi fighting Darth Vader in the first movie. Kenobi threatens: "You can't win Darth, if you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine." I had no idea what he was talking about during that scene, and through the trilogy Obi Wan pops up a few more times as a ghost to help Luke out.It would make more sense for the Islamic State to make such a statement.  It is rather unique for a terrorist organization to hold territory the way a state actor might. But at one time the territory of the Islamic State, or ISIS or ISIL, stretched across Syria and Iraq. A fairly well defined area. They even began operating like an actual totalitarian state, collecting taxes, and imposing laws. 

Driving these forces out of Mosul feels good. It means that the countries in which the Islamic State resided have fought back and are re-securing their territory. As a result, forces backed by the United States have reinstated order. However, as the New York Times pointed out yesterday, ISIS is still able to inspire global attacks. 

Even in the retaking of the city there is the same caveat that sleeper cells very much exist, and will cause problems down the road. 

ISIS had physical territory, but their real power was that they existed online. The reach of social media puts all kinds of ideas in people's minds, and the Islamic State has shown an incredible aptitude for recruiting. They target those most vulnerable to coercion by supplying much sought after affirmations and inclusion on those platforms. This tactic is how the group has established its foot hold in many western countries. The strategy is hard to track and almost impossible to stop.

For as long as the Islamic State has an internet connection, they remain a danger. They don't need Mosul, they don't need territory because they could be reaching in to your next door neighbor's house, or your kid's pocket. We can't fight this with guns alone. 

After World War II the United States government gave money to European countries to ensure they would remain Democracies, remain allies, and remain middle class. The countries that received money used it to rebuild after being ravaged by years of war. They ensured that their populations would have educations and futures worth looking forward to. 

Europe had been at war for a matter of years, arguably the last time peace has actually come to the Middle East could be measured in millenia. If the United States invested in the populations of the Middle East then we could begin to build those same bonds we enjoy in Europe today. This is adhering to Thomas Friedman's "Golden Arches Theory." Capitalist, middle class countries don't fight each other. People with jobs don't give in to extremism. If we create more middle classes, then we can trade, and trade in this context is the fuel of peace and prosperity.

We won't shoot our way to peace.  Now that Mosul has been recaptured, we should help them rebuild. Let's invest in businesses and industry in the new Iraq. To turn a phrase, if we employ them over there, we won't have to fight them over here.