Joe,
Assad is the last of the Arab fascists, that's what Ba'athism was modeled on, it's Arabic social nationalism.
As I said before, ISIS are telling the truth about their Jihad and the Atlanticists are lying about it, Islamic movements have always adapted to the zeitgeist and adopted the technology and social structure of the era, they're not medieval at all, they're as much a product of western liberalism as they are Sunni Islam.
Young people raised in the West with Californian culture and given a liberal education are a good fit for ISIS because the recruits see a social justice movement at one level with messianic preachers sending out a consistent message and a street gang with "homies" and big guns at another.
In the Californian vernacular ISIS are "Badassss Motherf-ers"

Jay,

I don't think Assad is the last of Middle Eastern fascist dictators by any means, there's plenty more to come, perhaps some as yet unborn, and I'm not so sure that the Islamo-fascists are a product of anything in the West so much as exploiters of communications and military technology developed there.

It's going to be a long war, or series of wars. I wonder if Fukuyama wants to revise his notion of an 'end of history'.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/562720/Battle-of-Stalingrad

"Russians consider it to be the greatest battle of their Great Patriotic War, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict. It stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union and marked the turning of the tide of war in favour of the Allies."

About 3,000-4,000 jihadists - backed by tanks - are fighting in Kobani, i.e. somewhere between 10% and 15% of ISIS's entire fighting capability, and considering that ISIS's losses are about 1000. This battle for the small city of Kobani is chewing up disproportionate resources for its size.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

http://www.firstpost.com/world/top-us-envoy-says-islamic-state-impaled-gathering-kobane-1813447.html

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has "impaled itself" on Kobane by pouring fighters into the strategic Syrian town so they can be bombed by the US-led coalition, a senior US envoy said Nov. 20.

Retired General John Allen, coordinator of the coalition against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, told Turkey's Milliyet newspaper an estimated 600 ISIL fighters had already been killed in air strikes and the group would ultimately be defeated in the battle for the town.

"ISIL has in so many ways impaled itself on Kobane," said Allen.
He said that IS had sought to make a symbol out of Kobane by defeating the Kurdish forces seeking to retain control of the town.

ISIL continues to "pour fighters" into Kobane who can then be bombed by coalition war planes. Any time you mass to achieve the affect that they are trying to achieve with respect to Kobane, you create targets.