Obama Must Not Hesitate in the Face of Terrorism

The voters warned him. So, it’s understandable that the American president would want to respond to the criticisms received during the recent midterm elections with nothing less than a political gesture. But it’s worrying that he would decide upon the forced resignation of U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for such means. This decision demonstrates Obama’s lack of clear direction when it comes to the single most serious issue America and its allies are currently faced with: the threat that is the Islamic State.

Obama arrived at the White House ready to change the perception of U.S foreign policy and security, which had been worn down by the pressure of two simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hagel was clearly appointed for political reasons, and was entrusted with the unpleasant task of ensuring the complete withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, despite evidence that Afghan soldiers were not ready to resist a Taliban attack without further backup. The violent invasion of the Islamic State group — a large-scale threat for the free world, and one that requires an appropriate approach in terms of terrorist potential — now confirms that Obama’s good intentions just weren’t good enough. The new secretary of defense will be faced with an extremely complex mission, one that will need all the support it can get, inside and outside of the U.S., in order to stop evil in its tracks. Hagel’s uncertainty ended up losing him his job, but at the end of the day it’s the equally hesitant Obama who must step up and bring some more convincing decisions to the table. There’s no other option when the enemy’s intentions are as explicit as the abominable crimes committed by their followers.