The ISIS Problem

Yesterday and today has seen a vast amount of media coverage devoted to the beheading of American Journalist James Foley and the alleged British element of ISIS. While this was indeed shocking is hardly a surprise. After all ISIS or IS has become renowned for their brutal methods and acts.
It is the message regarding nationality which is getting the air time and the talk of extremists returning home to carry out further outrages. While this is a natural concern and one that is very real, it remains to be seen if there will be a new direction from ISIS or if they will inspire more home grown elements. Certainly action by local elements against ISIS forces will keep ISIS focused on the Levant and while this might provide a training ground and actual experience of combat to extremists, it also means that they have to be seen to achieve success if they wish to maintain credibility.

The Royal United Services Institute have published a number of interesting articles related to ISIS and the the issues at hand over the last few days. Here is an article that I was reading earlier very concise and to the point but it is a point well made.

The use of US airpower will increase as a result of this murder and the ante has been upped. It is doubtful if you will see combat troops once again deployed on Iraqi soil but with US airpower bolstering Kurdish forces and hopefully Iraqi military forces ISIS might be pushed back and either destroyed as a credible threat/alternative (which ever way you view it, this would seem unlikely given the nature of the organisation) or diminished to the point where they present a threat but one that is managable by regional elements.

Syria and the use of Chemical Weapons

With the shocking evidence of the use of chemical weapons and the finger being firmly pointed in the direction of the Assad regime, this article from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) offers a solution to the problem of finding out who is the culprit.

Eyes over Syria: Using Drones to Monitor Atrocities

While the article that I have linked from the RUSI website provides a solution for monitoring the conflict within Syria in a very realistic way, it does not solve 100% who was to blame for the latest atrocity.
It must be said that it is highly likely that the regime is too blame for this and action does need to be taken to prevent further lines in the conflict being crossed. However should this atrocity be the basis for Western intervention in Syria?
My own personal opinion is that intervention should be the absolute last resort and ideally should come from a regional state actor. The west can however play its part by imposing embargoes and ensuring that other UN member states adhere to these (such as Russia and China). This however is unlikely as Assad still has friends who can lessen the effects or stop them all togther when it comes to the US and UK.
This is why the use of UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) can prove to be such a game changer. It will appease Assad's friends in Russia and China, even if it doesn't appease them it will be hard for them to block a UN resolution that does not risk lives and offers impartial surveillance that is available 24/7.
It will give a good indication of what is going on in the country and perhaps lead both sides to the peace table in the long run when both sides realise that they will be held accountable.