The barnstorming of Iraqi cities by the al-Qaida splinter group ISIS is the direct result of a passive American foreign policy, according to Rich Lowry, editor-in-chief of National Review.
"This thing is a product of American pacificity,'' Lowry told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
"It started in Syria where we refused to try to create and support a decent third force among the opposition.
"The radicals [are now] taking over there and now spilling into Iraq … and now they're in Mosul in a position to threaten Baghdad. It's just unbelievably heartbreaking.''
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He made his remarks following the capture of several Iraqi cities by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS.
Lowry said it was hard enough to keep peace in Iraq with more than 100,000 American troops on the ground, before President Barack Obama began withdrawing U.S. forces three years ago.
"Are we really going to be able to do that with 5,000 troops or 10,000 troops at this juncture when things are completely unspooling?''
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