ISIS is Islam. There is no reason to think defeating ISIS is even possible. It doesn’t matter what name it calls itself, it’s all Islam. The US is crazy to try to depose a relatively sane leader in an otherwise insane Muslim middle east.
I agree with that.
I will say that I have always bought into the idea of a rolling Islamic terrorist setting anyway, so I take it for granted the same folks move from one terrorist movement to the next.
Whether it’s al Qaeda today, or the Muslim Brotherhood tomorrow, or ISIS next week it’s all the same deal.
We will be mopping them up in 2780, if the can’t grow out of their 500 AD mindset.
A known quantity as a leader who isn’t your cup of tea, is still exponentially better than the next prospect you know nothing about up front.
He has a track record, and you know pretty much what he will and won’t do.
That’s the best we can hope for IMO.
Stay in the region and keep some lines of communication open and set reasoned limits.