WASHINGTON — As French President Francois Hollande arrived in Washington to meet with President Barack Obama in the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border Nov. 24 further complicated his efforts to nudge its chief Western ally into closer cooperation with Moscow to combat the Islamic State and advance a Syrian peace plan. Even in advance of Hollande’s visit, the Obama administration had found itself in the somewhat dismaying position of having to defend the 65-nation, US-led global coalition targeting IS in the face of an allied member’s apparent request for a grand coalition that might include Russia.
“The fact is, taking a look at all of the resources that has gone into this is to understand that there is a comprehensive strategy that is being implemented by the United States and the 64 other members of our coalition,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest had said Nov. 23. “And I think that is a testament to the priority that the President places on this issue. It's also a testament to the American leadership that's at work here.”