President Joe Biden’s administration is planning to transfer the State Department’s special envoy office charged with leading the anti-Islamic State coalition to the bureau that handles counterterrorism, current and former officials told Foreign Policy. The reshuffle reflects how the new administration views the next phase in the fight against the terrorist organization that once controlled vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria—but has sparked debates over how to continue the fight against terrorism while shifting the United States’ foreign-policy attention to China.
Some officials have advocated for the change, given that the Islamic State no longer controls a physical caliphate. Other officials, however, privately argue the decision would, in effect, “downgrade” the office to a lower status within the U.S. government even as the terrorist group threatens a resurgence. They also argue the move would signal to coalition partners and allies that Washington is downgrading the fight against the Islamic State after nearly seven years of diplomatic spadework to build up a worldwide coalition.
