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It’s like belling the cat: Everyone agrees it is a good idea, but no one is brave enough to make the attempt.

So it is with the coalition mustering to battle the Sunni jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq & Al-Sham (ISIS). Air strikes are OK, sending in ground troops not so much.

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François Hollande, the French president, announced the group’s formation at a meeting in Paris two weeks ago. Twenty-five nations, plus representatives of the Arab League, the United Nations and the European Union, agreed to help Iraq in its fight against the jihadists. The battle has since between extended to Syria.

Meanwhile, their ranks have swelled, although there’s little agreement on just how many have signed on.

Speaking at the United Nations in New York this week, President Barack Obama claimed there were more than 40 nations; a day earlier, John Kerry, his secretary of state, put the number of more than 50, while the State Department itself listed 62 (including the European Union and the Arab League).