France seeks U.S.-Russia unity in coalition against Islamic State
Source: Los Angeles Times
President Obama publicly vowed to "redouble" U.S. efforts against Islamic State hours after the terrorist masscres in Paris, but officials offered few details as to what he meant.
That could change when French President Francois Hollande visits the White House on Tuesday as part of a trip to create what Hollande called a "grand and single coalition" that links the United States, France and Russia against the militants.
Obama said this week he would support military cooperation with Moscow if it focuses on defeating Islamic State, and not on propping up Syrian President Bashar Assad. He said he personally gave that message to Russian President Vladimir Putin when they met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Turkey.
For his part, Putin sent Russian bombers and cruise missiles to pound Raqqa, the militants' self-declared capital in Syria, after authorities in Moscow confirmed that a bomb had destroyed a Russian passenger jet over Egypt last month, killing 224 people.
Whether the confluence of interests and events will help Obama and Putin forge a tactical alliance, despite their deep divide over Ukraine and other issues, is unknown.
The French seem to be groping for a course that would increase pressure on Islamic State, while stopping short of the major military escalation that Obama has firmly ruled out.
Read more: http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-obama-isis-20151121-story.html