An Alliance Against ISIS May Be Easier Said Than Done

“By attacking civilian targets well beyond its territory, the Islamic State has seemingly accomplished what diplomats had failed to do. Suddenly, the international order has been scrambled, drawing the United States, Russia and France together in a possible alliance against the terrorist group,” the New York Times reports.

“But so far, that alliance remains largely theoretical. Even as President François Hollande of France takes on the role of bridge builder with back-to-back trips next week to Washington and Moscow, powerful centrifugal forces are still pulling the would-be partners apart as competing national interests challenge efforts to translate that newly shared aspiration into a sustained collaboration over time.”

Washington Post: “The Obama administration remains leery of Putin’s eagerness to form a grand military coalition, to include intelligence sharing, against the Islamic State, also known as ISIL and ISIS.”