IS/Daesh is, first and foremost, an internal islamic problem, and possibly an arab problem as well. Saudi Arabia's Wahabi strain of Sunni Islam is positively liberal compared to the daesh interpretation of the Koran. Al-Baghdadi, the Daesh 'guru' is on record as calling for the destruction of, firstly, the saudi royal family and secondly, the destruction of all Shia Moslems. Only then would it be the turn of 'the infidels'. Daesh is a Sunni organisation with former members of Saddam Hussein's general staff running the military side of the operation and they would love nothing better than the US et al sending in ground troops. Besides illegal oil sales, bank robberies, protection rackets and kidnappings, financial support apparently also comes from rich saudis who consider Saudi Arabia too liberal.

Air strikes, from whoever, will not defeat Daesh, indeed, the collateral damage is no doubt, for them, a marvellous recruiting campaign. It seems to me that 'the west' is indulging in knee-jerk actionism with no concept at all of a coherent strategy and tenable solutions. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.........Iraq 2.0(?)

@Akenaton (01.12.2015, 03:48) That, of course, is why Putin is so busy bombing various syrian rebel groups, supporting the syrian army against the rebels and undertaking next to nothing against IS.