ttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/opinion/anatol-lieven-the-key-to-crushing-isis.html?_r=0

The New York Times | Op-Ed Contributor

The Key to Crushing ISIS

By ANATOL LIEVEN  DEC. 3, 2015

Since the latest terrorist attacks in Paris, President Obama and a range of other Western leaders have agreed that ISIS must be crushed, Syria and Iraq stabilized, and the flow of refugees reversed. If ISIS, Al Qaeda and their supporters are the greatest enemies of the West, then we must respond accordingly, by focusing on destroying them while making unpalatable compromises with others where necessary. The successful waging of war requires concentration, ruthlessness, prioritization and a willingness to abandon old shibboleths and seek new allies.
We must remember that in this war with Islamist extremism, Russia is not an enemy but an ally, and Turkey under its present government is at best an extremely equivocal “friend.” Nevertheless, Turkey’s interests in Syria should be respected, and Ankara should be given guarantees that the West will not shift toward unconditional backing for Russia and the Syrian government. In return, Ankara needs to provide much firmer guarantees that it is not in fact buying ISIS oil or otherwise indirectly assisting the Islamic State.http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/opinion/anatol-lieven-the-key-to-crushing-isis.html?_r=1