policy The president's primary responsibility is protecting the American people. Leadership often means taking responsibility by delegating authority to those who possess more experience and expertise. Regarding global terrorism, the American people are hungry for a successful foreign policy. Rather than keep Americans and allies waiting for possible successes against ISIS and other terror groups, President Obama should consider delegating this critical objective to others who can offer an effective strategy and reassure citizens of their national and international security. The inauguration of the next president is in one year. During that time, we may still be conducting air campaigns over territory controlled by the Islamic State and reeling from additional terrorist attacks in the U.S. and around the world. We are in need of strategic gravitas to create a winning defense strategy with our NATO allies. That strategy might include three key elements: -Put enough NATO boots on the ground to arm and fight with the Kurdish Peshmerga and wipe out ISIS in Iraq and Syria; this should also include more effective use of JTACs (joint terminal attack controllers) and logistical support for Jordanian, Egyptian and Sunni forces in the western Anbar Province. -Leave a significant NATO ground force behind to protect and provide humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi and Syrian populations. -Provide NATO-led support for indigenous populations to rebuild their nations and civil military relations by achieving concordance or agreement among legitimate political elites, the military and the citizenry. Previous NATO experience in Iraq has shown that installing Western-style democracy simply won't work. This region has a cultural mosaic that will need both NATO support and independence to craft its own forms of government. Western democracy may not be in the cards, but NATO should respect that and encourage stable government and healthy civil military relations that is in agreement with new political elites, the military and the citizenry. This effort will require long-term planning and investment of NATO troops, an effective counterinsurgency strategy, and international coordination with local allies to support the evolution of positive state building in the region.
To achieve a comprehensive strategy that involves effective NATO participation, the
president can lead through delegation by creating a bipartisan team that might include John McCain and Dianne Feinstein, who understand the current global terror threat. They also have a longstanding track record of leadership and foreign policy experience in Congress. Let this team work with our military leaders, NATO allies and Congress to articulate a specific plan for how we will eliminate ISIS now so that the next U.S. president can work effectively with our allies to help rebuild the Middle East. For the next several months, a bipartisan team such as McCain and Feinstein also needs to reassure the American people that we are augmenting airport security and international border control and have disaster relief plans in place in case of a terrorist attack. Currently, we lack coordination among local, state and national agencies in cities across America with respect to terrorism or a lights out electrical grid scenario. The American people deserve to know more about the issues affecting immediate national security, and so do our NATO allies who are beset with domestic conditions not seen since the inception of NATO. Leadership often means recognizing that delegation is necessary to carry out fundamental responsibilities. This is not a good time to double down on a partially effective strategy when domestic and international security is at stake. The advocacy of exclusionary immigration policies might also be quelled if the American people felt personally safer and were given a clear timetable for achieving a successful vetting process for immigrants and visitors. Delegating this foreign and domestic policy crucible to those who have the experience, the vision and the communication skills to protect the homeland while reinforcing our commitment to our allies has never been more urgent. Rebecca L. Schiff is an adjunct professor at the U.S. Naval War College, and author of "The Military and Domestic Politics: A Concordance Theory of Civil-Military Relations." The content and opinions in this commentary are her own and do not represent the Naval War College.