US Efforts to Build Coalition Against Islamic State Hampered by Sectarian Divide - Wall Street Journal

Updated Sept. 15, 2014 10:19 p.m. ET

U.S. efforts to build a broad coalition to combat Islamic State on Monday ran straight into the sectarian chasm that has divided the Middle East for centuries, with Arab allies disagreeing over whether Iraq's neighbors—particularly Iran and Syria—should have a role in any military campaign.

A group of 26 countries gathering in Paris—including the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia—vowed to back the fight against the Sunni extremist...