ANALYSIS "The German government seems to be coming to the conclusion that the only way to fight the 'Islamic State' (IS or ISIS) is to join an alliance with Bashar al-Assad, though at the same time maintaining the insistence that the Syrian president - who continues to barrel-bomb his own people - must go," writes Ben Knight for DW. "Most recently, after the devastating attacks in Paris on November 13, which the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, later claimed as its handiwork, Merkel declared resolutely, 'Freedom is stronger than terror,' and she pledged to join the French government in rooting out the attackers. In short, as could be expected from someone who is sympathetic to the European project, Merkel responded to the tragedy in Paris with a call for greater solidarity between Europe and its allies," write Claire Greenstein and Brandon Tensley for Foreign Affairs. "Meanwhile, in a civil war that became a proxy war - fought using Syrian blood, Syrian lives - military escalation brings its own momentum, as each power does what it takes to secure its own proxy and interests. Given this deadly, cynical dimension, there is no logic in bringing yet another country's firepower into the fray, especially as it's likely to push a political solution to this nightmarish war even further away," writes Rachel Shabi for Al Jazeera. |
