From 1979 through 1989, Soviets occupied Afghanistan. The U.S. government in response employed the policy of containment under the Reagan administration, providing assistance to rebels to fight against the U.S.S.R. Funding rebel troops resulted in an unforeseen catastrophe: the expansion of an extremist organization to gain a foothold in the Middle East, and later maximize on resources–derived from U.S. aid–to launch an attack on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

Unbeknownst to the Reagan Administration, their desire to enforce the policy of containment by “any means possible” led to Al-Qaeda killing thousands of innocent U.S. citizens. This tactic of accomplishing goals by “any means possible” has come back to haunt the U.S.

Once again the U.S. government faces a crisis. This time: a war against the terrorist organization known as the Islamist State, ISIL or ISIS. Following the beheadings of two American journalists, Steven Sotloff and David Foley (captives held by ISIS), President Barack Obama addressed the nation Sept. 10, declaring that the U.S. would do all in its power to “degrade, and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.”

Although Obama specified that the U.S. would be contributing solely through airstrikes, how long will that last? Obama impulsively appealed to Congress to pass legislature that would arm the rebels fighting ISIS with American weapons. Have we not learned anything from history? Our government needs to pause, assess the situation and come to a consensus with our allies. Once we have a clear agenda and the support of other countries, we can make an informed decision to fight ISIS. The past several years we have spent billions fighting in the Middle East, and have wasted billions. It is now time to take responsibility in order to fight radical Islam more effectively.

Despite our noblest intentions, our “American duty” to conquer every evil in the world makes us vulnerable to mistakes.

The rebels that Congress has decided to arm earlier this September are not bound to America. Who is to say that they or some faction of these rebels, potentially commanded by a novice Iraqi government, won’t turn against us? Obama should pause, approach this situation cautiously, garner the support of others and then propose a multinational solution to the United Nations. We cannot risk another attack against the U.S. due to our negligence. ISIS poses a major threat that needs to be addressed, but it needs to be tackled with extreme care and a step-by-step plan of action.