The United States has resumed military operations in Iraq. Last week, U.S. warplanes twice struck Islamic militants that were advancing through Iraq and expanding territory they claim as part of the Islamic State. The U.S. also airdropped weapons to the Kurds and relief supplies to members of the Yazidi sect who fled to a mountaintop in their search for shelter from insurgents who demanded that they convert to Islam or die.

The U.S. actions were undertaken in a desire to avert "genocide," but relief will only be temporary. As ever, there is no military solution to Iraq's problems. The only enduring answer is political, and the key will be found in Baghdad.

Militants of the Islamic State continue their march through Iraq. After moving south from Syria, where they control nearly one-third of the country, they first routed the forces of the Iraqi government, exposing the tenuous legitimacy and authority of the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.