US President Barack Obama meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, February 3, 2015. The hastily arranged meeting follows the release by the Islamic State of a video showing the apparent burning alive of a Jordanian pilot who had been captured late last year.LOEB/AFP/Getty Images); Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
Last night Jordan executed two jihadist prisoners in retaliation for Islamic State's burning alive of a captured Jordanian pilot, prompting many to identify this as a “tipping point” in the fight against the Islamic State group.
This morning, Jordan's King Abdullah vowed a relentless war against the group calling itself Islamic State and the country promised an earth-shaking response. Last night, Jordan hanged two jihadist prisoners in retaliation for the Islamic State’s burning alive of a captured Jordanian pilot. Tensions are high in Amman, with residents expressing grief and anger.
What options does Jordan have available? And is this really a tipping point for the Islamic State?
Guests:
Rania Abouzeid, independent journalist based in Beirut, covering the Islamic State in the Middle East, she contributes to the New Yorker and is formerly with TIME
Brian Michael Jenkins, senior advisor to the president of the RAND Corporation, expert on terrorism and homeland security