Cutting Off Aid to Terrorists

Hitting ISIS where it hurts

As horrific as the current situation in Iraq may be, according to political scientist Patrick B. Johnston's essay "Hitting ISIS where it hurts: Disrupt ISIS cash flow in Iraq" there is little appetite in the U.S. For a wide-scale ground war. Yet a more conservative combination of limited airstrikes and aid is also unlikely to prevent ISIS from thriving. Johnston believes that the defeat of ISIS can only come from within Iraq. Helping the Iraqi government and the ISIS resistance movement plan military options, specifically by targeting ISIS' financial sources of support is critical. Rather than targeting the outside flow of financial revenue to ISIS, Johnston advocates active military operations against the oil business, cash, and bookkeeping of ISIS. Traditional methods of stemming the flow of cash will not work, give ISIS' lack of reliance on foreign patrons.

Johnston believes that Iraq squeezing ISIS economically is critical to its defeat, including encouraging the Iraqi government cooperating with local Sunni tribes and business owners to head off ISIS before it penetrates these areas. America can also provide non-military assistance in the form of analyzing ISIS' financial information. The Iraq government should make attacking ISIS oil wells a priority as well as engaging in alliances with sympathetic Muslim neighbors to contain ISIS' financial operations.

Johnston's recommendations are clearly designed to require the minimum amount of military and intelligence commitments from the U.S. To achieve the maximum result in terms of disrupting the financial operations of ISIS. Given the unfeasibility of major U.S. ground support, attacking ISIS financially 'where it hurts' is essential. But given that ISIS' sources of financing are somewhat different from terrorist organizations of the past, this requires a unique new strategy. Also, the disparate and diffuse nature of loyalties in Iraq must be taken into account. The Iraqi government must carefully marshal support from a diverse range of regional interests spanning from nations like Turkey, the Kurdish population, and from Sunnis. The U.S. can provide assistance with these efforts but cannot be the sole 'prop' of support. The overall philosophy of Johnston is to invest independence in the entities currently responsible for governing Iraq but to maintain U.S. support to ensure an effective policy is being maintained and U.S. interests are appropriately advanced without raising anti-U.S. sentiment or creating the impression that the current regime is a lackey of the United States.