Another thing that I am thinking of is, would there be a new power rising to fill the void of ISIS if it is gone?
I think that there is always going to be a group that wants to see the end of the west, but the important thing is to keep the groups from getting too much power. ISIS has already been able to gain quite a bit and they continue to recruit people, growing stronger. However, as they continue their barbaric behavior, such as burning 45 people alive as they did earlier this week, I have faith that more nations around the globe will be able to unite to take a tougher stand against ISIS and we can work together to take them down and it won't have to be a prolonged battle where the United States of America alone fights it and loses thousands of soldiers as a result.
That being said, I really do not think that air strikes alone will be able to grind ISIS to a halt. Maybe air strikes from many nations will help bring ISIS down a little but even then it won't be the most effective way to take them down, however it is among the safer options when it comes to the lives of the troops.
It is a very difficult situation and it will be interesting to see how the next president deals with it, especially with Iran's nuclear program ticking on in the background seemingly unnoticed by western powers.