President Obama’s unwillingness to confront Islamic extremism by enacting a comprehensive strategy to defeat ISIL has resulted in America being seen as weaker by the international community, and Americans lives being put at risk. One thing has been made painstakingly clear, President Obama is all talk, and unfortunately our enemies know this.

Obama has failed to lay out a comprehensive strategy to “defeat” and “destroy” ISIL. He can say the words “defeat” and “destroy” as many times as he wants, but they are nothing more than buzzwords, carrying little actual meaning. President Obama has ordered airstrikes on key ISIL targets, and has requested Congress to approve greater presidential powers to utilize different military capabilities in dealing with ISIL. Obama may still be arguing that he is unlikely to deploy large amounts of troops, but it is evident that ISIL is winning, and Obama is only delaying the inevitable.

ISIL has control over Mosul (the second largest city in Iraq), and according to The Telegraph, it spread to Libya and is currently vowing to take Rome by waging war on southeastern Europe. Troops are needed on the ground to stop these barbarians from harming the free world. Meaningless rhetoric from Obama won’t do it. Obama’s incompetence and lack of a strategy to defeat ISIL is making the United States look indecisive, weak, and unwilling to stand up for its interests and allies. It won’t be long before our allies like Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia see Obama as nothing more than a talking head, unwilling to lead in difficult times.

Finally, by not doing enough to stop ISIL in the Middle East, Obama is making the United States susceptible to terror on the home front. The longer ISIL exists, the more widespread the group will become, and the more likely citizens will be radicalized, putting Americans at grave danger at home. The Huffington Post reported in early October that dozens of ISIL supporters call America home, some have been detained, while many still remain at large. Obama needs to take a stand in the Middle East by deploying troops to actually defeat and destroy ISIL to protect Americans and the American way of life. His failure to do so conveys to ISIL and groups like it that the United States will not respond to terrorist attacks. Only by eliminating ISIL will the world see peace, and only then will the United States regain its rightful place as an international power and peacekeeper.