The U.S. says it won’t go it alone in the fight against ISIS and is calling on its traditional allies for help. (Video via U.S. Department ofDefense)
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be meeting with Middle Eastern leaders this week — all part of an ambitious lobbying campaign that’s drawn comparisons to President Bush's efforts to build an international coalition to fight Al-Qaeda. (Video via C-SPAN)
CHUCK TODD VIA NBC: "They don't want like some small coalition of two or three nations where it really is just the United States and a couple of symbolic countries."
Perhaps easier said than done. As an analyst from the New America Foundation told Bloomberg, "Obama has to convince a world that doubts American resolve."
Obama will try to do that convincing in an address to the nation Wednesday night. What he doesn't want is what happened his call for strikes in Syria last year.
OBAMA: “We will continue to rally support from allies from Europe to the Americas — from Asia to the Middle East.” (Video via The White House)
Key allies — including Germany, the Arab League and Britain — balked at the idea, and the White House chose to instead pursue a diplomatic path.
This time around, Arab states are still wary, and according to The Wall Street Journal, blame the rise of ISIS on the U.S.’s reluctance to get involved in Syria.
The Arab League has, however, endorsed action by NATO's so-called "core coalition." The coalition is made up the 10 NATO states that began discussing military options last week — chief among them is the U.K.
Prime Minister David Cameron’s government says it hasn't ruled out joining the the U.S. in direct military strikes and providing training and arms to the Kurdish forces. (Video via Sky News)
President Obama will also be courting Congress and a war-weary American public when he outlines his strategy to degrade and defeat ISIS Wednesday night — a strategy administration officials say will not involve boots on the ground in Syria or Iraq.
This video includes images from Getty Images and the U.S. Department of State.
