Spoiler:
![[PokeCommunity.com] ISIS and the future of the Middle East](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Syrian%2C_Iraqi%2C_and_Lebanese_insurgencies.png/1005px-Syrian%2C_Iraqi%2C_and_Lebanese_insurgencies.png "[PokeCommunity.com] ISIS and the future of the Middle East")
The American intervention against ISIS in Iraq and Syria has been ongoing for one year and three days. Where does the mission stand today?
I remember when certain figures were suggesting that the mission would not last for longer than six months. That's clearly not the case. But on the other hand, the airstrikes have been stemming the advance of ISIS and have done so with few Western (just one American soldier dead by enemy fire) and relatively few civilian casualties.
Did the United States do the right thing by intervening against ISIS in the Middle East? Is it time for the US to end the intervention or should the intervention continue? What do you think is an appropriate end-goal for the Middle East, and how should the international community act to bring it about? Does the US have any special responsibility or commitments to the region?
If ISIS is defeated in Iraq and Syria, how do you think events will play out in the Middle East? Do you think those two countries can exist largely as they do today or do you think they will be divided along sectarian lines?