"Dealing with extremism abroad and its spillover at home will present an enormously complex challenge for the next president. Over the last five years, conflicts in Syria and Iraq have continued to frustrate the United States diplomatically, sapped military resources and provided a breeding ground for Islamic State radicals, who have spread bloodshed and destruction in the region and the West.
The multidimensional nature of the problem was on full view this week: a cease-fire in the Syrian civil war seemed ready to collapse; American forces prepared to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State; and terrorist attacks occurred in New York, New Jersey and Minnesota. President Obama’s successor will have to confront these threats and understand what connects them.
As Mr. Obama has discovered, there is no easy solution to any of these problems, not least the sources and consequences of extremism, which may account for the lack of a sustained discussion in the presidential campaign about how America should deal with the issues.
Hillary Clinton responded in an even-tempered fashion after the latest attacks in the United States last weekend. And she has advanced prescriptions for the Middle East, which mostly make sense, apart from a questionable idea for a no-fly zone in Syria, which Mr. Obama has rejected in part because it risks a confrontation with Russia.
Donald Trump has offered virtually nothing except fearmongering and notions that could make matters worse, including a proposal for “extreme vetting” that could prevent most Muslims from immigrating to America. Apart from its vindictiveness, such an approach can only help the extremists by fueling anti-American sentiment among moderate Muslims everywhere. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump claims he has a plan somewhere in his possession to defeat the extremists but refuses to divulge it, perhaps because he hasn’t the foggiest idea of what to do."
Foreign Wars and Terrorism - The New York Times
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