While it is probably the case that the Daesh is benefiting from the presence of some Iraqi ex-Ba’athists in their ranks, you seem to ignore the fact they are fighting against a Ba’athist government is Syria and to ignore the fact that any Islamist ideology is antithetical to Ba’athism.
Ba’athism was, and is, a fascist version of secular Arab nationalism, which is why Arab Christians in the Middle East outside of Lebanon, if they are involved in politics at all, are almost to a man Ba’athists. In both Iraq and Syria the Ba’athist governments were amalgams of the religious minorities — in Syrian mostly Alawites, but with a smattering of ordinary Shi’ites, Christians and Druze; in Iraq under Saddam Hussein, Sunni with some Christians (Tariq Aziz, the former Ba’athist Foreign Minister is a Chaldean Uniate).
“While it is probably the case that the Daesh is benefiting from the presence of some Iraqi ex-Ba’athists in their ranks, you seem to ignore the fact they are fighting against a Ba’athist government is Syria and to ignore the fact that any Islamist ideology is antithetical to Ba’athism.”
Are they? It seems like both ISIS and Assad are fighting against rebel groups supported by Obama, Hezbollah and anyone who isn’t a radical. Syria could send aircraft to bomb ISIS positions but they aren’t. They could mass an army to destroy ISIS but they aren’t.
There has to be a reason why.