Breitbart’s Dr. Gorka: ISIS a ‘True Insurgency, ‘Not Just a Terrorist Group’

NATIONAL HARBOR, (Maryland) — Dr. Sebastian Gorka, who serves as Breitbart News’ National Security and Foreign Affairs editor and the Chair of Military Theory at Marine Corps University, spoke as part of an expert panel on Friday at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) titled, “Lowering the Boom: When to Stand Up to Rogue Nations.”

Dr. Gorka was joined by moderator Jose Cardenas of Vision Americas, columnist Andy McCarthy of National Review, defense expert Peter Brookes of the Heritage Foundation, and Governor Gary Johnson, who served two terms in the position in New Mexico.

Dr. Gorka explained that what makes the Islamic State special is that it is a “true insurgency” and “not just a terrorist group.” He added that “ISIS now holds territory in excess of the land mass of Great Britain… It is a proto-state.”

ISIS is both “the richest threat group in modern history,” and ”the most successful jihadist group in terms of recruitment,” he remarked. ISIS also poses a great existential threat to the world because it understands social media “in ways Al Qaeda never did,” he added.

Breitbart’s National Security editor warned about the continuing plight of Middle East Christians as the Islamic State terror group has continued its territorial expansion. ISIS is conducting “a genocide against Christians on our watch,” said Dr. Gorka.

“The problem with Iran has always been that it is the leading sponsor of terrorism in the world,” yet the negotiations over its nuclear program have never considered the aforementioned fact,  said National Review’s Andy McCarthy. “The Iranian regime has killed Americans with regularity over the past 30 years,” he added. “When they say ‘Death to America,’ they actually mean it,” he said.

McCarthy said that the Iranian regime’s ideology “seems to be driving the train” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. The National Review columnist spoke to the threat posed by Islamic supremacists worldwide. He believed that the United States needs to implement all of its tools of statecraft in order to fight the jihadist movements and its allies.

Brookes recommend the Heritage Foundation’s new index of military strength, which warns about vulnerabilities in the U.S. defense structure and provides recommendations for future upgrades to America’s military capabilities.

Former Gov. Gary Johnson disagreed with his co-panelists, blaming U.S. intervention for America’s foreign policy issues.