U.S. President Barack Obama is going to war, and it's not going to be simple. The president, who did not want to fight Assad (over chemical weapons) last summer, must now contend with the extremist Islamic State group (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. A year ago Obama could have still helped the moderate rebels (they do exist) and the Free Syrian Army to topple Assad and also weaken or even destroy ISIS. Instead, his goal now is to "contain" or "destroy" ISIS in a matter of years, while simultaneously bolstering Assad and his Iranian patron. This is the result of a conciliatory and stuttering foreign policy. Obama is also showing that he has not changed America -- America has changed him. The latest polls express the American public's dissatisfaction with the president's foreign policy, and concern over the growing strength of ISIS. America wants another fight. Ten Arab states have agreed to join the American coalition, which is a positive thing. How symbolic that they decided on Sept. 11. We must remember that just as al-Qaida's terror was born from the Muslim world, so too is ISIS. This does not mean that all Muslims or Arabs are terrorists, heaven forbid; but there is no denying that the terrorists -- then and today -- are motivated by radical Islam. Therefore, for the war to be effective and for the Arab street to see the war as legitimate, Arab states have to join the effort. Obama understood this, and he was right. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and also Qatar are in the coalition. Yes, Qatar, which has proved to be quite the diplomatic acrobat: It manages to fund ISIS and fight against it alongside the Americans. Qatar has a unique expertise, indeed. Obama, however, is discovering today what Bush discovered in 2003: The international community is far from being unified. While France is prepared to join the coalition, Germany has announced its refusal to participate in airstrikes, not in Iraq and not in Syria. Turkey, a member of NATO, also refuses to take part in the military campaign and is only willing to help with humanitarian efforts. Turkey, which allowed ISIS combatants from Europe to enter Iraq and Syria from its territory, suddenly has cold feet. And then there's Russian President Vladimir Putin, of course, who also has no intention of making Obama's life any easier. Moscow, the ally of Damascus, has already condemned the American plan and sees it as an "aggressive step." The Assad regime, too, is opposed to the military campaign if it is not coordinated with Syria. Iran, meanwhile, which is supposed to help in the fight against ISIS, has already criticized other coalition members -- the Gulf states, which funded Syrian rebels -- for feigning their intention to fight them. There is no reason to envy the American president. The champion of words must now act with partners, each one pulling in a different direction. It will be hard to beat ISIS this way.
