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The president’s strategy of attacking ISIS in Syria has been delayed as the U.S. is still trying to line up support from Arab countries in taking military action.

On Saturday, President Obama in his weekly radio address stated, going forward, we won’t hesitate to take action against these terrorists in Iraq or in Syria.  But this is not America’s fight alone.  I won’t commit our troops to fighting another ground war in Iraq, or in Syria.  It’s more effective to use our capabilities to help partners on the ground secure their own country’s futures. We will use our air power. We will train and equip our partners.  We will advise and we will assist.   And we’ll lead a broad coalition of nations who have a stake in this fight.  This isn’t America vs. ISIL.  This is the people of that region vs. ISIL.  It’s the world vs ISIL.”

President Obama has repeatedly ruled out the use of American ground troops in Iraq, and has placed restrictions on U.S. military advisors and other military personnel assisting Iraqi and Kurdish forces in military operations.

The president and his administration continually state they have commitments from over forty nations in confronting ISIS, but so far have not revealed who will take part and what Arab nations have signed on.

On NBC “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd pressed U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power regarding the lack of commitment of other nations.

Powers responded, We are not having problems getting countries to commit. Our strategy is predicated on the Iraqi forces and Kurdish forces on the ground in Iraq leading the effort. They are going to be in the best position to know how to take back territory in their own country.  And so too, as you know in Syria, our strategy is predicated on the modern opposition building out its capabilities over time, professionalizing those forces. That’s the strategy, Chuck. It’s us using our unique capabilities, the other capabilities the coalition partners bring to bear in support of ground operations by local people.”

Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff while traveling in Europe told reporters, “The president has not yet approved the campaign plan in part” because we have not yet completed our work of building the coalition, especially of Arab nations, Dempsey said. “I think that would be the point at which the campaign plan would go into its next phase.”

The president is banking on other nations to participate in air strikes and to contribute to the cost of the operations and assist in training in training Iraqi troops and Syrian rebels.

The LA Times reported two major U.S. allies in the region, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have said they support the operation against Islamic State, but they have so far been ambiguous in public about how they intend to contribute, other than to assist in training Syrian rebels to take on the militants. Turkey, another key regional power with a powerful military, also has said little about whether it intends to join the fight.  All three are Sunni-led countries.

The Times continued to report the Obama administration is also hopeful Sunni governments will use their influence — and their cash — to reach out to Sunni Arab tribes in Iraq, many of which have joined Islamic State militants as they have swept across Iraq, either out of fear or because of disaffection with Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.

The problem the president is having in building this broad based coalition predates this crisis is that our allies in Europe and in the Middle East plainly do not trust this president to stay the course.

The administration says more than 50 countries have signed on to his coalition, but only France has joined the U.S. in conducting military operation in Iraq, but will not conducted air strikes into Syria.  Britain, one of our most reliable allies has publicly stated they will not join in air strikes in Iraq.

This leaves the president dangling in the wind as his strategy is not gaining the traction he had hoped.

There are still numerous unanswered questions to the president’s strategy in Iraq and Syria. One question is how the president will leverage Sunni Arab tribes against ISIS a Sunni terror organization when the Shia led government in Baghdad still has not been more inclusive with Sunni participation?

There still is too many unanswered questions to the presidents strategy!