The Islamic State

The Islamic State is a Muslim extremist group that has rapidly spread through Iraq and Syria taking over a series of cities and imposing a law system called Sharia, characterized by its violent and somewhat archaic punishments. This, for obvious reasons, has raised international alarm because of ISIS' extremist views and violent ways. It is a highly complex problem, with varied causes such as religion, politics, and others. The countries fighting this attempt to re-establish a muslim caliphate are far from having a stable government and are already busy struggling with other internal quarrels. What should be done if those under attack do not have the means to defend themselves properly? It seems logical that someone needs to help.
The United States have had a history of getting involved in foreign politics, there was the dictatorships set up in Latin America, and more recently another series of interventions in the Middle East. Of course these interventions have also caused a whole new series of problems, one of which is the rise and spread of the Islamic State (Brumfield, Ben). For this reason, as reluctant as everyone is to see the US once again meddling in external affairs, it is their responsibility to at the very least help eliminate the threat that ISIS represents.
Of course, this help doesn't have to (and shouldn't be) carried out in the same way it has before. Syria has already warned Obama's government that any drone attacks performed without previous consent from Damascus will be taken as an aggression to the state, rather than directed to the jihadists (Lucas, Ryan). This exemplifies the attitude that the United States has adopted when dealing with potential threats to their own country, the attitude of an overprotective parent. While it is clear that governments in the middle east are currently undergoing a lot of conflict, it is not up to the US government to impose its views and practices on another country. After the cuban missile crisis in 1962, a series of democratically elected socialists governments in Latin America where thrown down (helped by the US) and replaced by dictatorships, which more often than not resulted in long years of suffering and fear for those living in said countries. Clearly this is not the way to follow in the Middle East. There is already enough suffering and it would only help the US' interests to continue this suffering but with a cooperating government.
Any kind of aid, coming from the United States or any other countries, should be coordinated beforehand with the countries being helped, even if these have opposing ideologies and a history of conflict, like in the case of Syria (Hearst, David). These differences can be dealt with later on, once the pressing problem (expansion of the Islamic State) is solved. It is unacceptable that any country launches any sort of military aid attack in another country without first communicating with the authorities of the land being bombed, even if the intention is to eradicate  an extremist group such as the Islamic State. 
It seems impossible at these moments to think of peace when journalists are being murdered on tape and nine year olds dream about killing "infidels" and establishing a caliphate all over the Middle East and possibly the world. Ideally, western countries, aside from contributing with military aid, will serve as guides for countries just coming out of decades of constant war. Hopefully, they will be more like an older sibling rather than an imposing father. In the end, the final goal is to help create functional governments, governments with religious tolerance, where minorities are respected and represented so that there is no need for extremist movements. History has proved that poor governments inevitably will lead to violence, and the only way to safeguard against the rise of new groups similar to the Islamic State is to have efficient authorities who work for the people, not for themselves.

Sources:
Brumfield, Ben. Why does the U.S. intervene militarily in Iraq but not in Syria?
Hearst, David. Islamic State: the monster Western intervention created
Lucas, Ryan. Syria warns Obama against intervention over Islamic State