Conflicts

Repeated conflicts with Islamist militant groups (Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iranian proxies) often end in tactical wins followed by withdrawals, aid flows, and resurgences, creating cycles of violence rather than durable peace. This pattern deserves scrutiny. It highlights real strategic, political, and doctrinal challenges in asymmetric warfare against ideologically driven actors who treat pauses as opportunities to regroup.

Why does it seem that battles against Islam never end in victory. Withdrawal seems to be the result leaving a diminished Islamic force in place, able, however, to grow and rebound. At the same time aid is provided the enemy. Military often becomes engaged, not just in fighting, but in supplying the enemy with resources. Why? 

For America this happened in Afghanistan. During the Biden administration (2021) we witnessed a cumbersome withdrawal, the result of which left billions of dollars of American weaponry in the hands of the enemy. Promises the Taliban made have not been kept as the country has fallen into the hands of Islamic fundamentalism oppressing the vast majority of people. The Taliban rebels in charge are taking advantage of the situation too, lording over the population. Women have been denied education and left to be just chattel for the male oppressors.

This has happened repeatedly for Israel. After the Sinai wars (1967, 1973), when Israel actually occupied and built housing for Jewish people in the Sinai, they were then ordered to withdraw, demolish the housing, and return the conquered land to Egypt. The same happened in Gaza (2005) after the Oslo Accords where Jewish occupied areas were yielded to the Muslims. Israel withdrew completely and the result led to October 7, 2023. And recently after the horrendous October 7 attack by the rabid Hamas,  while the IDF fought against the Islamists in Gaza, they were also required to provide protection to enable truckloads of aid be delivered to the Palestinians, even while they paraded in the streets cheering on the killing of Jews. Call it oxymoronic. 

What happens next, Hamas rebuilds their tunnels, they hide more ammunitions in populated places, they resupply their missiles and they prepare anew to attack Israel. Hamas embeds in populations (human shields), complicating “total victory.”  In turn IDF soldiers will need to fight the enemy again and again, Islam, and lose Jewish lives.  Why is Israel being prevented from occupying the areas where victory is achieved and maintaining the peace to prevent more death to the people of Israel?  If you’re going to fight a war, win the war, and make victory complete.  

Another example is in Lebanon. Hezbollah, supplied by Iran, continues to attack Israel. Israel wins the battle, loses areas displacing Jewish residents. It becomes no-man’s land between Israel and Lebanon. Why is Israel being prevented from going ahead and completely exterminating and claiming Lebanon for itself. I’m sure if Israel did that they would give Lebanon all the leverage they needed to maintain their independence, while at the same time keeping an eye on the potential for the snake of Hezbollah to attempt a rebirth.

Is the same thing going to happen with Iran? With both America and Israel actively attacking the terrorist leading Islamic Republic, the enemy Islam, will they eventually declare a pyrrhic victory, let a weakened Islamic Republic remain, rebuild overtime, continue to oppress the majority of residents, keep their enriched uranium, just to open the Strait’s of Hormuz? At the same time the war is not really won!  And the future will be clear, Iran will continue to be the world’s leading source of and support for terrorism.  Iran will continue to call for death to Israel and America.  And Iran, Islam, will have effectively succeeded, again. 

Appeasement

We need to stop this habit of appeasing Islam. Liberal democracies prioritize minimizing casualties, optics, and endless commitments.  Jihadist groups prioritize endurance, martyrdom, and demographic conquest.  But, civilizations endure when they match threats with resolve.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​  If we engage Islam, especially after being attacked, even occupied, by the Islamists, we need to win, declare victory, and cleanse the areas to prevent any future recurrence. Then preventative measures are necessary to suppress growing Islamist militant factions. We know their intentions.  Born from concentrations, from teaching in mosques and madrassas, from supportive progressives and sympathetic politicians, we need to stop wars before they begin. 

After 1400 years of Islam’s aggressive tactics, jihad through various means, including migration, you would think people have learned by now that Islam is a threat.  History has demonstrated Islam’s endurance. Reasonable alternatives that might be favorable to mitigating the growth of Islam have not succeeded as Islam resists, kills, enslaves, denies and prevents access. Captives are forced to convert or be sidelined as a protected class subject to taxation and humiliation. Education is limited in concentrations, communities, the ummah only fed the political ideology, indoctrinated in the mantra, the diatribe of the tenets born from the prophet, and hating the infidel. 

Another question. Do we have the will to defeat Islam, at least its presence in free nations and attempts to conquer new territory for Allah? We must, otherwise the jihadist threat will never go away.

Grace and Peace

Thomas W. Balderston, Author and Blogger