Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell on NBC News’ Meet the Press. In this wide-ranging interview Powell addressed the fight against ISIS.
Chuck Todd: Let me move to the crisis with ISIS, which in some ways is connected right now to the migrant crisis that's facing Europe and the Syrian refugee crisis. And I guess I would quote Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush said, "In order to defeat ISIS, you've got to get rid of Assad and Syria and we've got to deal with the Syria problem." Number one, is he right? And what is your view of how to deal with ISIS?
Colin Powell: ISIS is not just an enemy waiting to be defeated in Syria and in Iraq and elsewhere. It is a movement. It is not something that's going to lend itself to immediate military power to take it out. It's a movement. And it's going to have to be defeated by the people who live in the areas where this movement exists.
So airpower can just do so much. But air power is also destroying a lot of homes and towns and villages and other things. And so I think especially in Iraq, it's going to take the Iraqi army believing in its government. The government that believes in its army and is giving the army what it needs to be successful, they have to not only defeat Iraq on the ground, but they have to hold the ground. They have to stay there, or else it falls apart.
With respect to Syria, I think that situation right now is so complex, so confusing between the government in Damascus, which is still there, but seems to be weakening between what the Russians might or might not be doing at the moment, that is of concern to Secretary Kerry. And who would replace Assad? Who would replace any of the other groups that are fighting for power? Whether it is ISIS or anyone else. I think Syria has every potential of falling into the kind of disrepair that we have seen in Libya and elsewhere.