Will it come to a full-out war with the IS?

From Robert Reich

We are ineluctably moving toward a world war against the Islamic State. Whether you support such a war or not, the signs are ubiquitous – in the media, the White House, on Capitol Hill, in the Defense Department. And despite that “bomb-the-shit-out-of-ISIS” Republicans don’t yet support American ground troops there, U.S. special operations forces are already on the ground.

No sane person welcomes war. America’s record in Afghanistan and Iraq does not reassure. Yet if we do go to war we need to keep a watchful eye on 5 things:

1. Who does the fighting? To date, America’s “volunteer” army is made up mainly of lower-income men and women for whom army pay and perks provide the best options. But if we go into a larger war on the ground, we can’t rely solely on volunteers from low-income families. How do we spread the burden and sacrifice? Are we ready to reinstitute the draft?

2. What if any civil liberties are we prepared to sacrifice? The debate over NSA/CIA spying on Americans is still fresh and the more imminent possibility of terrorism on U.S. soil will revive it. War can also lead to internments of suspects and suspensions of constitutional rights. We must be vigilant that we maintain the freedoms we are fighting for.

3. How many more innocent civilians in Syria and Iraq will be killed or injured by such a war? The bombing raids have already claimed a terrible civilian toll, contributing to a mass exodus of refugees. We must demand that civilian casualties be minimized. And we must do our part to take in a fair portion of those refugees.

4. How do we contain anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States? Some Republicans are already suggesting Muslims should not be admitted as refugees. Ben Carson argues no Muslim should ever be president. We must do everything we can to stop the hate-mongering.

5. How do we pay for such a war without raising taxes or cutting vital public services? We must not let Republicans use the war as a pretext to cut Social Security and Medicare, or programs for the poor. It should be paid for the way we used to pay for wars – with higher taxes, especially on the wealthy.

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