Obama's Strategy Meets Reality in Iraq and Syria

Editor's Note: We re-feature this analysis in light of the U.S.-led airstrikes that began in Syria on Sept. 23, 2014.

Though U.S. President Barack Obama said in a Sept. 10 speech from the White House that he intends to destroy the Islamic State, doing so will prove quite difficult. A major aspect of the challenge comes from Obama's decision not to use ground troops, though 475 troops will be sent to Iraq to provide training, intelligence and logistical help on top of the approximately 1,000 already there.