Al Arabiya quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on the ongoing crisis in Iraq:
“ISIS was able to achieve considerable ‘shock and awe’ in its initial assaults on poorly officered Iraqi army units in predominantly Sunni Arab areas. Although it is far from a spent force now – it is still capable of small unit operations and acts of terrorism – it accomplished the limit of what was relatively easy,” said Ambassador Fred Hof, who is now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “ISIS is now up against more organized and competent defenses and it has to deal with tribal authorities and ordinary Iraqis who may not be attracted to its criminal, heavy-handed, and pre-Islamic governance practices. Momentum is no longer in its favor,” he added.
The onus, some U.S. experts say, must be on Iraq to regain power over its own country. Even granting Iraq the military weapons and airstrikes that it so adamantly demands will not serve to be the silver bullet that Baghdad hopes it to be. “Weapons supplies – other than ammunition and individual weapons – have long lead-times and require considerable training” Hof said.