For many Americans, President Obama, with his latest plan to expand U.S. military intervention in Iraq, is finally “doing something.”

And people here in Iraqi Kurdistan are generally hopeful that this will stop the militant fighters calling themselves “the Islamic State,” or ISIS. I keenly feel the pain of the people here and do not want any more people brutalized, but Obama’s plan will not diminish global terrorism; it will only expand and strengthen it.

It is helpful to remember that ISIS’s ability to capture areas of Iraq was possible because the United States had destroyed its society and supported the Shia government that excluded Sunni populations, subjecting them to widespread loss of jobs, attacks, mass arrests, torture and extra-judicial killings.

While our team lived and worked in Baghdad, the U.S. and Iraqi forces bombed and destroyed whole neighborhoods and cities in the name of antiterrorism, generating more anger toward America. The United States failed to support the progressive, mostly nonviolent uprisings around the country against government abuse and corruption.

Throughout the years of occupation, it was clear to us that U.S. military actions in Iraq were not directed at protecting the Iraqi people but for protecting American personnel and U.S. economic and military interests in Iraq and the Middle East. In early August, U.S. military strikes were, once again, less for protecting religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq than protecting U.S. diplomats and the large oil companies developing oil fields in the Kurdish region.

Obama used Somalia and Yemen as examples of successful collaboration against terrorism, but they point to the failure of our counter-terrorism strategy. Bombing, drone strikes and covert actions by Special Forces in Somalia have not diminished al Shabaab or al-Qaeda in Yemen but helped their recruitment.

Much of the power of ISIS is in its ability to generate horrific fear. The beheadings seem to be staged to provoke the United States and its allies to a military response and to behave as jihadist groups have made out the West to be—monsters bent on global domination, exploiting and oppressing Muslims. Perpetuating this image maintains the jihadist groups’ support among the local populations and brings in new recruits.

Each time the United States puts forth an alarmist scenario and tells us there is no other way but military action to stop an evil force, intelligent people—who know our wars have been robbing our society of money for human needs and giving it to corporations—are again seduced by fear.

They are not provided with a fair debate on the political and social alternatives to a constant war for maintaining military and economic dominance around the world.

What are some strong nonmilitary measures the United States can take to weaken ISIS in Iraq and Syria and start reversing the spread of the global terrorist movement?

• Stop the airstrikes, since they serve to strengthen the extremist movements.

• Deal with the underlying problems that fuel extremism and global terrorism. Support governments in providing their people with better living conditions and fair distribution of their resources. Support local nonviolent movements for change.

• Develop political solutions. In Iraq, put pressure on the Iraqi government to reverse years of anti-Sunni sectarianism. In Syria, push the UN to restart negotiations to end the civil war, bringing to the table nonviolent activists, women, refugees, armed rebels, and regional and global players.

• Develop a coalition of countries working on political and diplomatic, nonmilitary actions to weaken ISIS. Use financial pressures and stop the flow of money and weapons into the region. Broaden the talks with Iran to develop a new partnership on these issues.

• Collaborate with Kurdish rebel groups already protecting minority groups from ISIS in northern Iraq and take them off the terrorist list. Reduce tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

• Reverse decades-long policies and actions of the U.S. government around the world for domination and exploitation. Recreate world monetary systems such as the World Bank and IMF to be nonexploitive. Allow the UN to represent the global community and address injustice. Change U.S. policies with Israel.

• Address the humanitarian crisis the United States helped create. Give nonmilitary aid.
There are no quick-fix solutions, but we will not reduce the suffering from war and build peaceful and stable societies if we keep repeating the strategies that have only fueled strife.

Peggy Faw Gish works with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraqi Kurdistan and is author of Walking Through Fire: Iraqis’ Struggle for Justice and Reconciliation (Cascade Books, 2013).