U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry surprised lawmakers, human rights advocates, and perhaps diplomats, by announcing today he had determined Islamic State (ISIS) is committing genocide against Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria.
Only one day before, the State Department issued a statement saying Kerry’s determination would be delayed past a March 17 deadline written into last year’s omnibus spending bill, signifying how contentious and protracted the issue had become at the highest levels of the Obama administration....