“The fact is if we do this right, then this effort could become a model … I’m confident that with our strategy in place and our international partners at our side, we will have all that we need. And with the help of the Congress, we will … succeed in destroying [Isis].”
And with that he closes, and Menendez moves to ask his first question.
“We have to stop the foreign fighters who carry passports from around the world … and we need to deliver urgently needed humanitarian assistance.”
“And finally, and we cannot overstate this, we must continue to repudiate the gross distortion of Islam that [Isis] propagates. … I was very [glad] to hear that Saudi Arabia’s top clerics [denounced] terrorism [as a crime]”.
“Let me just emphasize that when we say global coalition, we mean it.”
“Every single person I spoke to, at Wales … at Jeddah, at Paris … they all expressed strong support for our mission and a willingness to help in some way. … We have a plan, we know the players, our focus now is determining what each country’s role will be.”
“We asked … General John Allen to oversee this effort, he came within 24 hours of being asked, is already at his desk, and is … coordinating all these other aspects beyond the military piece.”
“As Isis grows weaker, the moderate Syrian opposition will go stronger, that is why it is so critical that Congress pass the authorization” of support, Kerry says.
He says that the Syrians need to prove they can be a viable alternative to the regime.
“This is more than just a military coalition … this mission isn’t just about taking out an enemy on the battlefield, it’s about taking out a network … dismantling a cult masquerading as a religious movement.”
“We don’t need every country to engage in that kind of military action and frankly we’re not asking them and don’t want every country [to do that].” He calls it a “holistic” approach.
“We are now moving to an offensive strategy … I’ll just quickly say, at its core, our strategy is centred on a global coalition that will collaborate closely on a number of specific areas.”
“Direct and indirect military support: military assistance can come in a number of forms”; he lists training and equipment, air lifts, and reconnaissance.
“In Iraq, in Syria, wherever it is found. This is not the Gulf War, this is not the Iraq war in 2003, and that is true for a nubmer of reasons.”
“US ground troops will not be sent into combat. A sustainable strategy is not US ground forces. It is enabling local forces to do what they have to do … the US troops that have been deployed in Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission.”
Kerry hails US strikes, saying “I’ll tell you you would be astonished if I were to tell you the accuracy” of air strikes on Iraq. He credits them with helping Iraqi and Kurdish forces to retake the strategic dams and move to an offensive phase.
“The two pillars of comprehensive strategy against Isil: an inclusive Iraqi government – which is essential, there would be no success [otherwise]. And secondly the broad coalition so that the US is not alone.”
He then praises the Iraqi government for appointing a new prime minister and approving a new administration, creating the “inclusive” government necessary to unite Iraqis. Nouri al-Maliki, the previous prime minister, is not mentioned.
He also says that the pan-Middle East talks in Jeddah were “transformative” in terms of the level of cooperation; using a Wall Street Journal photo of Middle East foreign ministers as evidence, he says that it’s an “unprecedented” degree of union on this issue.
“We’ve been focused on Isil since its inception as the successor of al-Qaida in Iraq, in 2013. Back in January, realizing that, we ramped up our assistance to the Iraqi security forces, increasing out [reconnaissance], we expedited weapons … in order to bring [the Iraqis’] capacity to fight.
“This summer the fight escalated … the president acted immediately … we further surged the ISR mission … and our special forces conducted a very detailed, in-depth assessment of Iraqi and Kurdish forces. We did that very purposely … because we wanted to understand what is the capacity of the Iraqi forces to fight … Are we getting into something in which we don’t have the answers to.”
Kerry begins the segue into describing the coalition: “It’s important for people to understand that there is no invasion. The invasion was Isil into Iraq … and it’s destructive to every possibility to building a state in that region. Even in a region that is virtually defined by division.
“They are more unified on this subject than anything [that I’ve seen] in my career.”
“We do have a strategy, and it’s not in its infancy … it is now being built in these coalition efforts that began in Jeddah and moved to Paris and will continue in the UN this week. The United States will not go it alone.”
“Iraq has caused some of the most heated debates and the deepest divisions in the past decade … but I didn’t come here today and I hope we don’t have to rehash those debates. The issue that confronts us today is one in which we all ought to agree: Isil must be defeated. Period. End of story.”
“Collectively we are all going to be measured in how we carry out this measure. … I would start by saying that I understand dissent. I’ve lived it. That’s how I first testified in front of this country in 1971. … So I respect the right of CodePink to protest … [But] you ought to care about what happens to Isil – they are raping and killing and mutilating women. They’re selling off girls … there’s no negotiation … they’re not offering healthcare, they’re not offering education …”
“They’re cold blooded killers marauding across the Middle East making a mockery of a peaceful religion. … Frankly, Code Pink and a lot of other people need to stop and think about how you think of that.”
And a protester begins shouting at him again.
John Kerry takes the proverbial stage, saying he’ll define the threat that Isis poses and the US strategy for defeating it.
“During the years that I had the privilege of serving here and working with different administration, it always struck me that American policy works best when there’s a genuine discussion, a dialogue, a vetting of ideas back and forth.”
I want to make sure that by the time we’re done here today … you have a clearer understanding of what we’ve done so far and how we see this. What we’re doing now and where we go next. I state unequivocally, and it’s not a passing sentence, that I welcome, and need, the input of this committee … because that’s how we guarantee the success of this effort.”
Corker, a Republican, criticizes the administration’s ambiguous statements about the Syrian rebels: “Dealing with a moderate opposition is odd. [The administration believes] the opposition to be generally feckless … [but that constitutes] most of our ground game.”
“I was shocked to hear that these rebels will be used to fight against Isis … Their focus has been Assad, [though] I understand they’re fighting a two-front war.”
“I’m surprised that the administration is going to use this as … our entire ground game. … So I hope to hear more about the threat posed.”
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