Trump has promised Belarus a massive potash deal. But Minsk is seeking something greater: restored Western transit and greater room for maneuver from Russia.
Balázs Jarábik
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A meeting in Paris is held to debate how best to cope with the self-proclaimed Islamic State's successes.
Source: Al Jazeera Inside Story
From the start, the US-led coalition that is fighting ISIL acknowledged that the battle would be long. Now, foreign ministers from several countries have met in Paris to figure out why their strategy against ISIL is not working in the face of the radical group's territorial gains in Iraq and Syria.
Before the Paris meeting, the US and Iraq blamed each other for the failure. The US defense secretary said the Iraqi army lacks the will to fight ISIL, while the Iraqi prime minister said his country does not get enough international support.
So, what will it take to defeat ISIL?
This interview was originally broadcast on Al Jazeera Inside Story.
Former El-Erian Fellow, Middle East Center
Mansour was an El-Erian fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, where his research focuses on Iraq, Iran, and Kurdish affairs.
David Mack
Jean-Marc Rickli
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
Trump has promised Belarus a massive potash deal. But Minsk is seeking something greater: restored Western transit and greater room for maneuver from Russia.
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Minsk clearly expected the dialogue with Washington to yield more results, in particular the lifting of EU sanctions and permission to export potash.
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