Posted on 01/18/2014 10:28:08 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee
After nearly three years of fighting in Syria and persistent calls for a new caretaker government there, U.S. policy toward the country’s grinding civil war is tacitly acknowledging what has long been obvious: President Bashar al-Assad will remain in power, at least for a while.
The Obama administration has narrowed its policy to two main efforts: the eradication of Syria’s chemical weapons and the staging of a peace conference scheduled for this week. Both need Assad’s cooperation to succeed.
Although the official U.S. line is that Assad “must go,” the focus on striking even short-term bargains with his regime is a recognition that he retains a strong political hold.
The United States insists Assad cannot use the upcoming peace talks in Geneva to strengthen his hand, but that is just what many U.S.-backed opponents of Assad say will happen. For months, moderate opponents resisted pressure to attend the talks, seeing them as a losing proposition that would undermine their already small influence on the frontline rebels. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Good. Once he wins I hope he kills every last one of John McCain’s buddies.
I happen to believe we are better off at present with Assad.
We enjoyed structure once in the middle-east with various secular dictators.
Arab Spring was a farce- it’s a kludge when the tribes/factions think they can run a modern country and make it work.
Israel is what I watch- it is the key.
Looks like Putin won this one. the way I see it—he’s the lesser of two evils. Assad will be king for a while longer—now its just clean up time.
At first I wondered why Assad was so cooperative about the poison gas. Then I thought he might be afraid it would be used against him, and I’ll bet the Russians were afraid it would fall into hands of militant Islamists in south Russia.
[At first I wondered why Assad was so cooperative about the poison gas.]
Chemical weapons are weapons of mass destruction as are nuclear weapons. The rationale for them in the Middle East was an attempt at strategic parity with Israel’s nuke arsenal. I don’t believe Assad is disclosing all his chemical weapons. I think he is giving up his oldest and most unstable ordnance for the U.S. to dispose of, a costly and dangerous project.
Concurring bump. Death to Al Qaeda...
true and kudos gleeaikin.
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