first, it validates the narrative assad has broadcast since 2007. there is also the i told you so factor. if only you had listened to us, we could have avoided that. this is a language that assad mastered. he had done so during the iraq war. his intelligence services can do a good job of it. there is the expectation that there will be cooperation with rebel groups under pressure from isis. you start with tactical cooperation and then you go to those famous truces and cease-fires that we see left and right. i am not sure this is a sustainable strategy or will happen. , the problemhing in the west about what to do about isis is a source of delight. just today, in the new york times, they were arguing about direct cooperation with isis. this is good for the regime anyway. others argue, no, it is not good news for assad. has failedly assad to get westerners to embrace his view of the threat. i think here, we should give credit to john kerry. bad things tof say about u.s. policy, but on this specific point, i think some of this is a good centralizing of t

assad. first, it validates the narrative that assad had broadcasted ever since 2011. there is an "i told you so" factor. you know, if only you had listened to us, we could have avoided that. assad welcomes the focus on counterterrorism. this is a language that he masters. he's done so during the iraq war. you know, he thinks he and his intelligence services can do a pretty good job at it. there's an expectation that they will be tactical corporation with some rebel groups that are under pressure from isi sirs. you start by active cooperation then you go to famous truces and cease-fires we've seen left and right. i'm not sure if it's a sustainable strategy or it will happen. and the debate in the west over what to do about isis is a source of delight for a number of assad associates. today there was another op-ed "new york times" arguing for western cooperation -- direct cooperation against assad. this is good for regime morale. others argue it's not good news for assad. that actually assad has failed so far to get westerners to embrace his view of the this threat. and

assad. broadcastps need to their success to build a narrative that they are fighting for the greater good of the shia community. that a roads assad's pretense of being a nationalistic settler. on twoquickly touch points. the phenomenon and how it plays inside syria. example of best local and transnational dynamics at play. isis is not a creation of saudi arabia, despite the conspiracy theories. it is a product of the failing governance and polarization in iraq and syria. wererowth and its reach not necessarily surprising. today, what we are seeing is the effective merger of western iraq and eastern syria and a constant movement of money, resources, fighters, across this border. he real surprise is that isis which at first pretended to be a vanguard organization, today has announced perhaps too soon that it attempts to the estate. tate. be a s this may be the downfall of isis. vulnerable.uch more you create expectations. this is actually one of the very contentious points of the syrian rebellion. isis'assad benefit from growth? i was talking to a few regime associates recently. they have mixe