Is a Ceasefire In Syria Coming Soon?

As far as defeating ISIS in Syria, it's not easy as long as the civil war rages on-it is, after all, what brought ISIS to Syria in the first place.

Attacks in Paris Add Urgency to Talks on Ending Syria War."

The top diplomats from more than a dozen countries agreed Saturday to press forward on an ambitious timetable to engineer a political transition and cease-fire in Syria, but remained deeply divided on major issues after a round of talks that gained intensity following the terrorist attacks in Paris."

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/world/europe/attacks-in-paris-add-urgency-to-talks-on-ending-syria-war.html?_r=0

This morning Secretary John Kerry says a Syria ceasefire could happen in weeks. 

"John Kerry: Syria Ceasefire Could Happen Within Weeks."

"A ceasefire would free nations supporting Syria's various factions to concentrate more on the Islamic State."

"A ceasefire between Syria's government and opposition could be just weeks away from reality, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday as he visited Paris to show solidarity with France after last week's attacks."

"Speaking to reporters at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to France, Kerry said the ceasefire envisioned by the political process agreed upon in Vienna on Saturday would exponentially help efforts to fight the Islamic State group, which has claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks that killed 129 people, as well as end the drawn-out Syrian conflict, which has gone on for over four years."

"That's a gigantic step," Kerry said. "If we can get that done, that opens up the aperture for a whole bunch of things. We're weeks away conceivably from the possibility of a big transition for Syria, and I don't think enough people necessarily notice that. But that's the reality."

"We are not talking about months, we are talking about weeks hopefully," he said.

"Saudi Arabia is expected to host a meeting of Syrian opposition figures by mid-December, at which they are to agree on a delegation to send to talks with representatives from President Bashar Assad's government. Once those negotiations begin, a ceasefire is to take effect, according to the agreement reached in Vienna."

"Such a ceasefire would free nations supporting Syria's various factions to concentrate more on the Islamic State, which is ineligible for the truce and has come under greater military scrutiny since Friday's attacks in Paris."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-kerry-syria-ceasefire-could-happen-within-weeks_564b18f2e4b06037734aa08e

The faulline remains though with the Bashar regime. Russia doesn't want him to be forced to step down and the US does. Speaking of Russia, they now say that a bomb was behind the fall of that plane. 

"Earlier Tuesday, Russia said its investigation into the crash of a Russian passenger jet in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula had determined it was brought down by a bomb. An Islamic State affiliate had already claimed responsibility for downing the plane. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to hunt down those responsible and punish them."

What's clear is that the best way to defeat ISIS is to focus on that-to have the dual purpose of defeating them but also of taking down Bashtar is sort of fighting against yourself. 

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/what-to-do-about-isis