This has been a consistent message from politicians and technocrats from several western countries. The war against ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State is being framed as a 10, 20, 30 year war. The most recent proponent of this view is former CIA director and Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, went over these topics in an interview with NPR (as part of what may be a book promotion tour?).
NPR interviews Leon Panetta about the long war against terrorism
MARTIN: You said recently in an interview with USA Today that the current fight against terrorism will end up being a, quote, “30-year war.” There are questions about how to make that legal. The current fight against ISIS has been justified by the administration under something called the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or the AUMF, which was passed by Congress after 9/11, the same authority that the president has said should be repealed because it’s too broad and shouldn’t be used to justify perpetual war. Does there need to be a new law?
PANETTA: I think it would be well for the president and the Congress to agree on the kind of authority that should be provided to the president in order to conduct this war on terrorism. I think that would be important for the country. I think it would be important to show that both Republicans and Democrats support this effort. I think it would be important in terms of making sure that there are no questions about the authority of the president of the United States to be able to fight what I think is going to be a long and sustained war against ISIS and against other elements of terrorism.
