James Coleman
Secretary of State Debate
1. What role does your administration believe the United States should play in regards to international conflict?
- Be able to explain how this belief will influence your actions toward ISIS and the War Afghanistan.
The US should get involved in international conflict if people are being killed by their own people. If an act of genocide is committed the US should step in and take charge. The US should take charge against ISIS for the crimes that they are committing against our people and against innocent people around the world. We promise to not stay silent on this issue. We will defeat ISIS and bring justice to everyone who has been a victim of their attacks or their leadership.
We also, however, believe that we should pull out of Afghanistan. The war against the Taliban regime has cost us billions of dollars and the costs of that war will only pile up into the national debt. We have not gotten anywhere in regards to defeating the Taliban. This war has lasted for 17 years and has resulted in countless lives lost. We do not need more soldiers to be killed just to lose this war. We do not need to spend billions of more dollars just to lose this war. We need to conserve more resources in order to combat a more dangerous threat: ISIS.
2. What methods have been used by the Obama administration and Trump administration to combat ISIS?
- Include specific examples.
Because there was hesitation in both the Republican and Democratic parties about additional affairs in the Middle East during Obama’s second term, he decided not to airstrike Syria. However, after ISIS released a video of two American journalists getting beheaded, Obama decided to take action by ordering dozens of airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria. The number of American troops that wanted to fight ISIS rose to more than 5,000 by 2016. Obama’s administration conducted more than 10,000 airstrikes against ISIS. Many critics of Obama say that he did not do enough to destroy ISIS, however, ISIS only really became a threat when there were only about two years left to his term. However, Obama has admitted that he did not act as fast as he should have in regards to ISIS and he undermined their power by calling them a JV team.
Before Trump’s presidency, Trump talked about bombing ISIS and other surrounding territories to try to combat ISIS and to defeat them. He deployed more troops at the beginning of his administration to defeat ISIS back in 2017. More recently, however, Trump has claimed that ISIS has been defeated and that we are pulling out of Syria. He has already ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 American troops, which has evidently caused backlash amongst people around the world. Many people are doubting that ISIS is truly defeated and are questioning Trump’s decision to pull out.
3. Do you agree or disagree with the methods used by the Obama/Trump administration to combat ISIS?
- Include specific examples of actions taken that you support or oppose and be able to explain why.
We agree more with Obama’s methods, however, we also think that he did not do enough to combat ISIS as a threat because he did indeed describe ISIS as a JV team. We do think that airstriking ISIS targets is effective and was a good strategy used by Obama, but we do think that he could have done more things sooner to defeat ISIS when it was at its weakest stages
We do not think that Trump made the right decision in pulling out of Syria because we believe that ISIS has not fully been defeated yet. They still own some territory in Syria and we believe that they could still possibly take over and get their old land back relatively easily, which would ruin years of involvement in Syria. This argument could be used for reasons to stay in Afghanistan, however, it can also be easily refuted. ISIS has repeatedly shown to us that they are still a remaining threat in recent years, meanwhile the Taliban and the terrorist groups that they harbor have not proven to be threats in a long time.
4. How will your administration eliminate the growing threat of ISIS?
- You must address methods that you will use and how they will eliminate ISIS.
- If you do not believe ISIS is a threat, explain why and you will ensure that they do not become a threat in the future.
Our administration will eliminate the growing threat of ISIS by using new advanced technology such as drones and other devices to detect bombs and as well as heat sensors. ISIS is a big threat and we have to eliminate them now to prevent future problems. Also then people will be able to live in peace and not live in terror. One of the strategies we plan to implement is providing victims of ISIS with humanitarian assistance, like airdropping food and blankets and other materials. This will help prevent a new generation of terrorists from trying to wreak havoc on the world, which will help us defeat ISIS.
We will also place more soldiers all around to help defuse tensions and will help to end ISIS. We will align ourselves with other Middle Eastern countries and European countries to help us defeat ISIS because at the end of the day, multiple military forces are more powerful than just ours and multiple brains are better than just one brain and one point of view.
5. Operation Enduring Freedom (The War on Terror) began in Afghanistan began in October 2001, shortly after the September 11th attacks. We are approaching the 17th year of our involvement in Afghanistan. While the combat mission may be over, the U.S. continues to work to stabilize the region and fight terrorism. If elected, does your administration plan to continue the War on Terror (Operation Enduring Freedom) in Afghanistan? Explain.
If elected we do not plan to continue the war on terror. 2,372 soldiers have been killed and 20,320 have been injured. These numbers are too high. We are fighting a 17-year war with no end. There is no clear way to win this war the most we can do is to help stabilize the economy which is what we have been doing. Most of the fighting is over but our soldiers are still dying.
Our soldiers have tried to help and they have. The conditions have improved although it may not seem like it. People in small cities have more freedom. However, we do not think that we can do much else in Afghanistan. We believe that we should put in everything we’ve got into a more recent cause. We are very close to defeating ISIS and we believe that if we keep doing what we’re doing there that they will be defeated, so we want to pull out of Afghanistan in order to put more money into fighting and defeating ISIS, a recent and very real and prominent threat.
6. How do you plan to improve America’s image around the world? Explain with specific examples.
We plan to improve America’s image around the world by ensuring that all families are given a home and some sort of insurance so that all of America is taken care of. If we take responsibility for all Americans, we can improve America’s image because we could be known for helping our people, Also we could give aid to other suffering countries, and try to help them.
We also want to be more involved with trying to help other countries rather than just selfishly focusing on ourselves. We believe that our ignorance to certain situations and certain kinds of people speaks volumes to other countries and makes them dislike us. We want to be more involved in humanitarian practices, like providing supplies to victims of ISIS. If we become more involved in things that people globally want us to be involved in, we will surely become more liked.
7. How do you plan to ensure that Americans are safe at home as well as overseas? Explain.
We can ensure the Americans are safe at home as well as overseas is to implement new technologies into place to ensure that America is secure. Also, we can get more security in highly populated places like airports and cities to make sure that everyone is safe. If he gets newer technology into place, the majority of America will be safe and secure. We can also work on relationships with other countries and maybe create an alliance.
Overseas, we can make sure that Americans are safe by stopping the war on terror and bringing troops back home. The war has gone on way too long and nothing seems to be changing. No more lives will be lost due to the war, and all troops will gradually be brought home.
- Be able to explain how this belief will influence your actions toward ISIS and the War Afghanistan.
The US should get involved in international conflict if people are being killed by their own people. If an act of genocide is committed the US should step in and take charge. The US should take charge against ISIS for the crimes that they are committing against our people and against innocent people around the world. We promise to not stay silent on this issue. We will defeat ISIS and bring justice to everyone who has been a victim of their attacks or their leadership.
We also, however, believe that we should pull out of Afghanistan. The war against the Taliban regime has cost us billions of dollars and the costs of that war will only pile up into the national debt. We have not gotten anywhere in regards to defeating the Taliban. This war has lasted for 17 years and has resulted in countless lives lost. We do not need more soldiers to be killed just to lose this war. We do not need to spend billions of more dollars just to lose this war. We need to conserve more resources in order to combat a more dangerous threat: ISIS.
2. What methods have been used by the Obama administration and Trump administration to combat ISIS?
- Include specific examples.
Because there was hesitation in both the Republican and Democratic parties about additional affairs in the Middle East during Obama’s second term, he decided not to airstrike Syria. However, after ISIS released a video of two American journalists getting beheaded, Obama decided to take action by ordering dozens of airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria. The number of American troops that wanted to fight ISIS rose to more than 5,000 by 2016. Obama’s administration conducted more than 10,000 airstrikes against ISIS. Many critics of Obama say that he did not do enough to destroy ISIS, however, ISIS only really became a threat when there were only about two years left to his term. However, Obama has admitted that he did not act as fast as he should have in regards to ISIS and he undermined their power by calling them a JV team.
Before Trump’s presidency, Trump talked about bombing ISIS and other surrounding territories to try to combat ISIS and to defeat them. He deployed more troops at the beginning of his administration to defeat ISIS back in 2017. More recently, however, Trump has claimed that ISIS has been defeated and that we are pulling out of Syria. He has already ordered the withdrawal of 2,000 American troops, which has evidently caused backlash amongst people around the world. Many people are doubting that ISIS is truly defeated and are questioning Trump’s decision to pull out.
3. Do you agree or disagree with the methods used by the Obama/Trump administration to combat ISIS?
- Include specific examples of actions taken that you support or oppose and be able to explain why.
We agree more with Obama’s methods, however, we also think that he did not do enough to combat ISIS as a threat because he did indeed describe ISIS as a JV team. We do think that airstriking ISIS targets is effective and was a good strategy used by Obama, but we do think that he could have done more things sooner to defeat ISIS when it was at its weakest stages
We do not think that Trump made the right decision in pulling out of Syria because we believe that ISIS has not fully been defeated yet. They still own some territory in Syria and we believe that they could still possibly take over and get their old land back relatively easily, which would ruin years of involvement in Syria. This argument could be used for reasons to stay in Afghanistan, however, it can also be easily refuted. ISIS has repeatedly shown to us that they are still a remaining threat in recent years, meanwhile the Taliban and the terrorist groups that they harbor have not proven to be threats in a long time.
4. How will your administration eliminate the growing threat of ISIS?
- You must address methods that you will use and how they will eliminate ISIS.
- If you do not believe ISIS is a threat, explain why and you will ensure that they do not become a threat in the future.
Our administration will eliminate the growing threat of ISIS by using new advanced technology such as drones and other devices to detect bombs and as well as heat sensors. ISIS is a big threat and we have to eliminate them now to prevent future problems. Also then people will be able to live in peace and not live in terror. One of the strategies we plan to implement is providing victims of ISIS with humanitarian assistance, like airdropping food and blankets and other materials. This will help prevent a new generation of terrorists from trying to wreak havoc on the world, which will help us defeat ISIS.
We will also place more soldiers all around to help defuse tensions and will help to end ISIS. We will align ourselves with other Middle Eastern countries and European countries to help us defeat ISIS because at the end of the day, multiple military forces are more powerful than just ours and multiple brains are better than just one brain and one point of view.
5. Operation Enduring Freedom (The War on Terror) began in Afghanistan began in October 2001, shortly after the September 11th attacks. We are approaching the 17th year of our involvement in Afghanistan. While the combat mission may be over, the U.S. continues to work to stabilize the region and fight terrorism. If elected, does your administration plan to continue the War on Terror (Operation Enduring Freedom) in Afghanistan? Explain.
If elected we do not plan to continue the war on terror. 2,372 soldiers have been killed and 20,320 have been injured. These numbers are too high. We are fighting a 17-year war with no end. There is no clear way to win this war the most we can do is to help stabilize the economy which is what we have been doing. Most of the fighting is over but our soldiers are still dying.
Our soldiers have tried to help and they have. The conditions have improved although it may not seem like it. People in small cities have more freedom. However, we do not think that we can do much else in Afghanistan. We believe that we should put in everything we’ve got into a more recent cause. We are very close to defeating ISIS and we believe that if we keep doing what we’re doing there that they will be defeated, so we want to pull out of Afghanistan in order to put more money into fighting and defeating ISIS, a recent and very real and prominent threat.
6. How do you plan to improve America’s image around the world? Explain with specific examples.
We plan to improve America’s image around the world by ensuring that all families are given a home and some sort of insurance so that all of America is taken care of. If we take responsibility for all Americans, we can improve America’s image because we could be known for helping our people, Also we could give aid to other suffering countries, and try to help them.
We also want to be more involved with trying to help other countries rather than just selfishly focusing on ourselves. We believe that our ignorance to certain situations and certain kinds of people speaks volumes to other countries and makes them dislike us. We want to be more involved in humanitarian practices, like providing supplies to victims of ISIS. If we become more involved in things that people globally want us to be involved in, we will surely become more liked.
7. How do you plan to ensure that Americans are safe at home as well as overseas? Explain.
We can ensure the Americans are safe at home as well as overseas is to implement new technologies into place to ensure that America is secure. Also, we can get more security in highly populated places like airports and cities to make sure that everyone is safe. If he gets newer technology into place, the majority of America will be safe and secure. We can also work on relationships with other countries and maybe create an alliance.
Overseas, we can make sure that Americans are safe by stopping the war on terror and bringing troops back home. The war has gone on way too long and nothing seems to be changing. No more lives will be lost due to the war, and all troops will gradually be brought home.