"they don't need to "win over" anyone; they just need to kill and dominate with force."
It seems if 99% of the people in an area thought they were abborent, they wouldn't be able to dominate with force, esp in places with an armed population. They must be selling a narrative that they're only evil toward evil poeple and it sells enough to convince the population it's better to go along with them than fight them.

"we should just stand by and watch them kill innocent people willy-nilly?"
I truly don't know. I have these occassional crazy ideas on what to do, but I think any would work. I definitely think if law enforcement agencies around the world should try to find any opportunity to arrest them and try them in the same justice systems used for murderers with non-political motives. I'm beginning to doubt that will work. Based on the little I've read, they're starting to operate more like a state and less like a loose band of criminals. I hold out hope that they are bizarre and evil enough that people in the areas where they hold sway will find ways to stop them. I haven't seen a plan that I think will stop them, but I hope someone more knowledgeable about foreign policy an idea.

Plus, they don't need to "win over" anyone; they just need to kill and dominate with force.

so, we should just stand by and watch them kill
innocent people willy-nilly? . I would take action
if a mass murderer were loose in my neighborhood,
and that's what this is. -- j

Yes. Evil almost sounds like a religious word, but with orgs like ISIS evil is the right word.

"Understanding that we are not evil makes it easier to identify evil elsewhere and to combat it effectively."
US is not even anywhere on the evil spectrum, esp compared to the word orgs in the world.

"These unfortunate experiences have made some gun-shy to the point that they would probably rather be invaded than adopt an offensive war posture."
This is a false choice between an endless search of dragons to slay as the world's policeman and being invaded. I'm in the gun-shy group.

"It is very clear that they have a plan that they believe will yield a victory in their quest for world domination. Some in our country are arrogant enough to believe that such a goal is preposterous."
Count me in the "arrogant"-enough-to-call-this-preposterous group.

I agree with all the first part, though, that ISIS is evil. I don't have a program to deal with them. I think they're so bad, it's hard to imagine they can win over anyone, but apparently they do in some cases b/c ISIS somehow controls territory. I did not expect that to happen. I would be a lousy foreign policy person (LOL) b/c I don't understand why it's happening or what to do about it.

I do think they can't beat the world so they hope to goad the world into action with their ghastly atrocities. The world shouldn't take the bait.