In his most recent weekly column, Washington Free Beacon editor in chief Matthew Continetti argues, “Our ISIS problem is a consequence of the American failure to respond effectively to our almost four-years-old Syrian problem.” Obama’s resolution seeking an authorization of military force and his campaign against the Islamic State, writes Continetti, are pointless without going to the root of the problem—Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and the Iranian security apparatus, including IRGC troops and Hezbollah, that have ensured his survival.

“ISIS is less the Syrian dictator’s opponent than his unconventional ally,” writes Continetti, “and as long as Assad remains in power so will the sectarian and political furies that gave rise to ISIS at the beginning of the war. And yet it is impossible to believe that Obama will uproot the weed responsible for some 300,000 dead, millions of refugees, use of WMD, and the Caliphate so long as his strategic goals are détente with Iran and a franchising of Middle East “security” to the mullahs.”