If the regional strategy for eroding ISIS support is to preach moderate Islam, it will fail, because religion is not at issue. Religion is merely the branding that gives ISIS a semblance of legitimacy in its otherwise barbaric and unreligious efforts.
If the plan is to bomb ISIS out of existence, that will only have a limited impact, since the group is part of a broader movement to express Sunni anger and opposition to Iran.
The terrorist attacks of Nov. 13 in Paris have inspired renewed calls to action: more troops, more sorties, a wider military offensive. And yet, the problem remains a quintessentially political one. Fighting ISIS will require a trip to the infinitely more complex nexus where political ethnicity and the regional balance of power meet.