Alla vigilia del tredicesimo dell'11 settembre, Barack Obama ha detto all'America che la guerra contro il terrorismo continua. "Questa notte, con un nuovo governo iracheno in carica, dopo le consultazioni con gli alleati e con il Congresso, posso annunciarvi che l’America guiderà un’ampia coalizione per ricacciare indietro questa minaccia terroristica. Il nostro obiettivo è chiaro: noi degraderemo e alla fine distruggeremo l’ISIL, attraverso una strategia anti terrorismo complessiva e sostenuta".
La guerra contro il terrorismo islamista che una volta aveva come obiettivo principale Al Qaeda, quindi ora continuerà contro l'ISIS (noi de La VOCE, come molte testate americane, preferiamo chiamare così la ex cellula di Al Qaeda in Iraq che si è trasformata nello stato islamico di Iraq e Siria, infatti il nome scelto dalla Casa Bianca, ISIL, indica il Levante, un territorio molto più grande e che speriamo non cada mai sotto il controllo di questo "stato" medievale e sanguinario). Ma da ieri sera c'è anche la grande novità annunciata da Obama alla nazione: la guerra continua anche in Siria.
Quando gli aerei USA hanno cominciato a bombardare ISIS questa estate, hanno puntato i loro missili sempre e solo in Iraq, sapendo che in Siria avrebbero rischiato di coinvolgere direttamente gli Stati Uniti nella terribile guerra civile in atto tra il regime di Assad e i suoi numerosi nemici a sua volta divisi. Dal discorso di ieri sera di Obama, ogni titubanza è caduta e come ha detto il presidente, con una frase di quelle che ci ricorda un po' troppo il George W. Bush del dopo 11 settembre, "chi minaccia l'America, sa che non avrà un luogo sicuro dove potersi nascondere".
"Degraderemo e distruggeremo" l'ISIS ora dice Obama. Bene. Ma come? George W. Bush, dopo lo shock dell'11 settembre, nell'ottobre del 2001 iniziò a bombardare e invadere l'Afghanistan dei talebani. Nonostante una lunghissima occupazione e dopo aver sostenuto, con costi altissimi, l'insediamento e il mantenimento di un governo e di un esercito afghano filo americano, i talebani sono ancora lì, a combattere e pronti al ritorno a Kabul. Degradati? Forse, ma non distrutti. In Iraq la stessa cosa, anzi peggio. Dopo chissà quanti miliardi di dollari spesi in quella guerra (la cifra esatta non la sapremo mai), dopo il ritiro americano, adesso siamo arrivati ad avere una buona parte dell'Iraq controllato da una organizzazione erede diretta di quella Al Qaeda che, proprio in Iraq, prima dell'invasione di Bush non esisteva.
Per Obama ora la guerra continua e anche in Siria. Ma prova a "tranquillizzarci", dicendo che "degraderemo e distruggeremo" il potere dell'ISIS senza mettere soldati americani sul terreno, ma solo bombardando le forze dei terroristi e addestrando le forze locali siriane anti Damasco (le forze "moderate" chiamate a sua volta da Assad "terroristi" ), l'esercito iracheno e i curdi. Insomma saranno loro i nostri eroi a imbastire l'offensiva per riprendere il controllo dei territori perduti all'ISIS. Noi manderemo "solo" altri 475 consiglieri militari: anche in Vietnam all'inizio si mandavano solo i consiglieri…
Obama, nel parlare in TV agli americani, ha cercato di riprendersi il fascino perduto del "Commander in Chief". Ma alla fine del discorso, non crediamo che sia riuscito a rassicurare gli americani, compreso chi scrive. Infatti nel discorso che avrebbe dovuto d'incanto cancellare la cosiddetta "gaffe" di appena due settimane fa quando disse "di non avere ancora una strategia" per l'ISIS, non abbiamo ascoltato quel piano serio e credibile che possa in circa "tre anni" eliminare il pericolo che costringe a far continuare la guerra. Già, tre anni e forse di più, questo il tempo indicato dagli esperti dell'amministrazione per "degradare e distruggere" l'organizzazione terroristica. Ci chiediamo: perché se tredici e undici anni non sono bastati, rispettivamente, per distruggere i talebani in Afghanistan e Al Qaeda-ISIS in Iraq, perché ora "solo" tre anni dovrebbero essere sufficienti per completare il lavoro in Iraq e anche in Siria?
Obama ha detto nel suo discorso che caccerà l'ISIS usando la stessa strategia utilizzata contro i "terroristi" in Somalia e in Yemen. Ma a parte il fatto che la campagna di droni a go go sulla leadership degli islamisti in questi paesi non può essere equiparata agli attacchi aerei che si annunciano sui cieli di Iraq e Siria, la forza non solo militare, ma soprattuto economica-finanziaria dello Stato Islamico di Iraq e Siria è assolutamente superiore rispetto ai gruppi che gli USA cercano di eliminare nel corno d'Africa e nella penisola Arabica.
Obama ha spiegato che l'America non sarà sola nel "degradare ed eliminare" l'ISIS, ma che avrà un largo gruppo di paesi alleati, sia della regione (quindi anche paesi come Arabia Saudita e soprattutto Qatar che sono responsabili di aver finanziato e armato ISIS?) che dell'Europa. Bene, questo fa sicuramente piacere, soprattuto se i costi di questa guerra che continua ormai da tredici anni, verrano condivisi con gli altri (chissà quanto saranno contenti in Italia di aprire il portafoglio…).
Ma c'è una domanda che resta senza risposta dopo il discorso di Obama e che ci poniamo già da tempo: come ha potuto l'ISIS prendere a "sorpresa" una grande città come Mosul e in pochissimo tempo conquistare un così vasto territorio in Iraq? (in Siria, a quanto pare, il controllo lo aveva già da tempo). Come è potuto succedere senza che i servizi americani avvertissero prima Obama che, magari, avrebbe potuto reagire prima del disastro? Come è potuto accadere che una forza di migliaia di uomini armati e addestrati sia apparsa in Iraq così, dal nulla, e abbia travolto quelle forze irachene e curde che noi avevamo armato e addestrato? E, quindi, perché queste forze per anni addestrate dagli americani adesso, dopo un ennesimo addestramento, finalmente dovrebbero essere in grado di sconfiggere quei i sanguinari guerrieri vestiti di nero dell'ISIS dai quali se l'erano data a gambe due mesi prima?
Dovremmo accontentarci della risposta di Obama data all'inizio del suo discorso: "Con un nuovo governo iracheno in carica…". Abbiamo capito, era tutta colpa di quel Nouri al-Maliki, troppo settario e filo sciita, ora con quello "inclusivo" di Haider Al-Abadi possiamo stare tranquilli…. Quindi col nuovo governo a Baghdad voluto da Obama (come Karzai a Kabul da Bush) gli iracheni questa volta cacceranno i terroristi tagliatori di teste. Aspetta e spera?
Obama, tra poco più di due anni, sarà uscito dalla Casa Bianca e infatti ha già messo un po' troppo le mani avanti, non sarà lui il "distruttore dell'ISIL", la lunga guerra che ora lui inizia e allarga alla Siria, continuerà anche dopo di lui. Il fatto stesso che chiamandolo in quel modo gli abbia fatto conquistare anche il Levante (che significa pure Cipro, mezza Turchia, Libano, Giordania…), vuol dire che ci vorrà chissà quanto tempo per "degradarlo e distruggerlo". E intanto il conto dei fantastiliardi di dollari spesi per la guerra permanente in Medio Oriente continuerà.
Siamo troppo pessimisti? Meglio non farsi illusioni, sperando di aver torto. Magari la nostra diffidenza nella finora fallimentare strategia politica USA in Medio Oriente ci rende ormai sordi, magari questa volta la Casa Bianca di Obama avrà fatto meglio i conti e la guerra "solo dall'alto" non sarà l'equivalente di un diabolico perseverare degli errori di Bush. Magari.
Sotto il video e il testo integrale del discorso del Presidente Barack Obama:
My fellow Americans, tonight I want to speak to you about what the United States will do with our friends and allies to degrade and ultimately destroy the terrorist group known as ISIL.
As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the security of the American people. Over the last several years, we have consistently taken the fight to terrorists who threaten our country. We took out Osama bin Laden and much of al Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We’ve targeted al Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen, and recently eliminated the top commander of its affiliate in Somalia. We’ve done so while bringing more than 140,000 American troops home from Iraq, and drawing down our forces in Afghanistan, where our combat mission will end later this year. Thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, America is safer.
Still, we continue to face a terrorist threat. We can’t erase every trace of evil from the world, and small groups of killers have the capacity to do great harm. That was the case before 9/11, and that remains true today. And that’s why we must remain vigilant as threats emerge. At this moment, the greatest threats come from the Middle East and North Africa, where radical groups exploit grievances for their own gain. And one of those groups is ISIL — which calls itself the “Islamic State.”
Now let’s make two things clear: ISIL is not “Islamic.” No religion condones the killing of innocents. And the vast majority of ISIL’s victims have been Muslim. And ISIL is certainly not a state. It was formerly al Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq, and has taken advantage of sectarian strife and Syria’s civil war to gain territory on both sides of the Iraq-Syrian border. It is recognized by no government, nor by the people it subjugates. ISIL is a terrorist organization, pure and simple. And it has no vision other than the slaughter of all who stand in its way.
In a region that has known so much bloodshed, these terrorists are unique in their brutality. They execute captured prisoners. They kill children. They enslave, rape, and force women into marriage. They threatened a religious minority with genocide. And in acts of barbarism, they took the lives of two American journalists — Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.
So ISIL poses a threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, and the broader Middle East — including American citizens, personnel and facilities. If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond that region, including to the United States. While we have not yet detected specific plotting against our homeland, ISIL leaders have threatened America and our allies. Our Intelligence Community believes that thousands of foreigners -– including Europeans and some Americans –- have joined them in Syria and Iraq. Trained and battle-hardened, these fighters could try to return to their home countries and carry out deadly attacks.
I know many Americans are concerned about these threats. Tonight, I want you to know that the United States of America is meeting them with strength and resolve. Last month, I ordered our military to take targeted action against ISIL to stop its advances. Since then, we’ve conducted more than 150 successful airstrikes in Iraq. These strikes have protected American personnel and facilities, killed ISIL fighters, destroyed weapons, and given space for Iraqi and Kurdish forces to reclaim key territory. These strikes have also helped save the lives of thousands of innocent men, women and children.
But this is not our fight alone. American power can make a decisive difference, but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region. And that’s why I’ve insisted that additional U.S. action depended upon Iraqis forming an inclusive government, which they have now done in recent days. So tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.
Our objective is clear: We will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.
First, we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions, so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. Moreover, I have made it clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq. This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.
Second, we will increase our support to forces fighting these terrorists on the ground. In June, I deployed several hundred American servicemembers to Iraq to assess how we can best support Iraqi security forces. Now that those teams have completed their work –- and Iraq has formed a government –- we will send an additional 475 servicemembers to Iraq. As I have said before, these American forces will not have a combat mission –- we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq. But they are needed to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and equipment. We’ll also support Iraq’s efforts to stand up National Guard Units to help Sunni communities secure their own freedom from ISIL’s control.
Across the border, in Syria, we have ramped up our military assistance to the Syrian opposition. Tonight, I call on Congress again to give us additional authorities and resources to train and equip these fighters. In the fight against ISIL, we cannot rely on an Assad regime that terrorizes its own people — a regime that will never regain the legitimacy it has lost. Instead, we must strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.
Third, we will continue to draw on our substantial counterterrorism capabilities to prevent ISIL attacks. Working with our partners, we will redouble our efforts to cut off its funding; improve our intelligence; strengthen our defenses; counter its warped ideology; and stem the flow of foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East. And in two weeks, I will chair a meeting of the U.N. Security Council to further mobilize the international community around this effort.
Fourth, we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by this terrorist organization. This includes Sunni and Shia Muslims who are at grave risk, as well as tens of thousands of Christians and other religious minorities. We cannot allow these communities to be driven from their ancient homelands.
So this is our strategy. And in each of these four parts of our strategy, America will be joined by a broad coalition of partners. Already, allies are flying planes with us over Iraq; sending arms and assistance to Iraqi security forces and the Syrian opposition; sharing intelligence; and providing billions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Secretary Kerry was in Iraq today meeting with the new government and supporting their efforts to promote unity. And in the coming days he will travel across the Middle East and Europe to enlist more partners in this fight, especially Arab nations who can help mobilize Sunni communities in Iraq and Syria, to drive these terrorists from their lands. This is American leadership at its best: We stand with people who fight for their own freedom, and we rally other nations on behalf of our common security and common humanity.
My administration has also secured bipartisan support for this approach here at home. I have the authority to address the threat from ISIL, but I believe we are strongest as a nation when the President and Congress work together. So I welcome congressional support for this effort in order to show the world that Americans are united in confronting this danger.
Now, it will take time to eradicate a cancer like ISIL. And any time we take military action, there are risks involved –- especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil. This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years. And it is consistent with the approach I outlined earlier this year: to use force against anyone who threatens America’s core interests, but to mobilize partners wherever possible to address broader challenges to international order.
My fellow Americans, we live in a time of great change. Tomorrow marks 13 years since our country was attacked. Next week marks six years since our economy suffered its worst setback since the Great Depression. Yet despite these shocks, through the pain we have felt and the grueling work required to bounce back, America is better positioned today to seize the future than any other nation on Earth.
Our technology companies and universities are unmatched. Our manufacturing and auto industries are thriving. Energy independence is closer than it’s been in decades. For all the work that remains, our businesses are in the longest uninterrupted stretch of job creation in our history. Despite all the divisions and discord within our democracy, I see the grit and determination and common goodness of the American people every single day –- and that makes me more confident than ever about our country’s future.
Abroad, American leadership is the one constant in an uncertain world. It is America that has the capacity and the will to mobilize the world against terrorists. It is America that has rallied the world against Russian aggression, and in support of the Ukrainian peoples’ right to determine their own destiny. It is America –- our scientists, our doctors, our know-how –- that can help contain and cure the outbreak of Ebola. It is America that helped remove and destroy Syria’s declared chemical weapons so that they can’t pose a threat to the Syrian people or the world again. And it is America that is helping Muslim communities around the world not just in the fight against terrorism, but in the fight for opportunity, and tolerance, and a more hopeful future.
America, our endless blessings bestow an enduring burden. But as Americans, we welcome our responsibility to lead. From Europe to Asia, from the far reaches of Africa to war-torn capitals of the Middle East, we stand for freedom, for justice, for dignity. These are values that have guided our nation since its founding.
Tonight, I ask for your support in carrying that leadership forward. I do so as a Commander-in-Chief who could not be prouder of our men and women in uniform –- pilots who bravely fly in the face of danger above the Middle East, and servicemembers who support our partners on the ground.
When we helped prevent the massacre of civilians trapped on a distant mountain, here’s what one of them said: “We owe our American friends our lives. Our children will always remember that there was someone who felt our struggle and made a long journey to protect innocent people.”
That is the difference we make in the world. And our own safety, our own security, depends upon our willingness to do what it takes to defend this nation and uphold the values that we stand for –- timeless ideals that will endure long after those who offer only hate and destruction have been vanquished from the Earth.
May God bless our troops, and may God bless the United States of America.
