In his final address to the United Nations on Tuesday, President Barack Obama stated that military action alone cannot defeat ISIS.
Obama noted that radical forces within Islam have been “built up for years and are now at work helping to fuel Syria’s tragic civil war and the evil menace of ISIL.”
Barack Obama addresses the 71st session of United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York (Getty Images)
“The mindset of sectarianism and extremism and blood letting and retribution that has been taking place will not be quickly reversed,” he continued. “If we are honest, we understand that no external power is going to be able to force different religious communities or ethnic communities to coexist for long.
The President believes “we have to be honest about the nature of these conflicts and our international community must continue to work with those who seek to build rather than to destroy.”
Obama admitted that “there is a military component to that and it means being united and relentless in destroying networks like ISIL who show no respect for human life.”
“But it also means that a place like Syria, where there’s no ultimate military victory to be won, we’re going to have to pursue the hard work of diplomacy that aims to stop the violence and deliver aid to those in need and support those who pursue a political settlement and can see those who are not like themselves as worthy of dignity and respect.”