Past events prove ISIS intervention should not happen

In a new reign of terror, the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) released a video Saturday of the beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. Though the video’s legitimacy has not been not confirmed, this marked the second purported Japanese hostage killing, the first being businessman Haruna Yukawa. These alleged killings by ISIS are gross obstructions to human rights and world peace, but the United States should refrain from aiding Japan or intervening in ISIS affairs altogether.

The videos created by ISIS are a response to Japan’s entry into the anti-ISIS coalition created by the United States. In June 2014, when ISIS took over Mosul, Iraq’s second most populous city, it sent the world into a state of alarm. Many nations joined the United States to combat the extremist groups. Japan, though never forthright about their support, offered $200 million in aid to anti-ISIS countries. This angered ISIS, which seized the two Japanese hostages and demanded a ransom that matched the financial assistance that Japan had offered other countries. Thus, an Asian world power entered the Middle Eastern conflict.

According to Time, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to propose to Japan’s parliament a motion to fight side-by-side with the United States to counter ISIS. This raises concerns, as Japan is a country that has maintained peace since the aftermath of World War II. This is because most of their military technology is outdated, and unable to combat ISIS. In fact, Time reports that the crisis has revealed Japan does not have the “hardware, training or organization” to rescue the hostages. To pressure the Japanese government into aiding an anti-ISIS agenda would depreciate the defense against an extremist group that is spreading throughout the Middle East. On the other hand, the United States proves that even with ample amount of equipment and strategy, war campaigns can still fail miserably.

Post 9/11, the United States has engaged in nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following the fall of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein came an eight-year effort to rebuild a government according to American standards, but the new leaders have so far achieved nothing for Iraq economically or socially. Afghanistan saw American troops come in to completely eradicate Taliban influence, and while many Taliban members, according to Time, have fled the country to Pakistan, they are still waiting for the troops to retreat and take over the nation once again. Moreover, countless civilians were killed in these countries during the war. Reuters reports that in 2014 alone, the Afghan war claimed 3,188 civilian casualties. Past United States efforts have proven that intervention is, at best, superfluous. The reality, however, is intervention can be insidious to innocent lives.

That isn’t to say that nations have no responsibility, and thus, should adopt an isolationist approach; it’s just that war is not the answer to achieve tranquility. War is the truest demonstration of fighting fire with fire, so instead of targeting a nation, countries should aim to stop the morales and causes behind terrorist attacks. The answer to terrorism is not war; the answer is for nations to stop glossing over inequality that plants the seeds of conflict.

As the threat of ISIS escalates, it’s important for the United States to learn from past mistakes. There needs to be a more effective strategy to eliminate terrorist threat.

Danni Wang is a sophomore majoring in psychology. She is also the editorial director of the Daily Trojan. “Point/Counterpoint” runs Tuesdays.