Obama’s Failed Islamist Outreach

Daily Beast ^ | December 30, 2013 | By Josh Rogin

[Brad from Tennessee]

The Obama administration’s outreach to the Islamic Front in Syria earlier this month failed due to a flawed plan and unrealistic goals, insiders say—and now American influence on the ground with the armed Syrian opposition is at a new low.

In a Principals Committee-level meeting at the White House in early December, top officials from several national security agencies convened to decide on the next steps in the Obama administration’s Syria policy. The leadership of the Free Syrian Army, the moderate Western-backed rebels, had been chased from their headquarters in Northern Syria, leaving U.S. non-lethal aid in the hands of the Islamic Front, a new alliance of Salafist groups estimated to control over 130,000 fighters throughout Syria.

At this meeting, the top U.S. officials decided to open up direct engagement with the Islamic Front for the first time in the three-year civil war, according to three administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal government deliberations.

But above State Department objections, the White House determined that the U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, would not be appointed to talk to the Islamic Front, despite the fact that he was already in Turkey for meetings with other opposition groups. The White House dictated that a lower-level official, the deputy director of the Syria desk, would represent America at the momentous encounter. Just before the appointed time, the Islamic Front cancelled the meeting.

“The truth is, we don’t for sure know why the Islamic Front pulled out of the meeting. It could have been because they were insulted,” one administration official told The Daily Beast. “Right now, there is no follow-up meeting scheduled.”

[Brad from Tennessee]

It's not in the interest of the U.S. to get cozy with anything called the "Islamic Front." But to answer the question of why the Islamic Front refused to meet with the U.S. representative it may have been that she was a low level female State Department official.

[dforest]

You mean like that little teen age looking twit Jon Cary chose as official spokes liar?

[Steely Tom]

This is the sort of problem that he finds too boring to waste any time on.

[molson209]

Islamists are just waiting for their chance to reach out and touch Obama

[equaviator]

Hey NASA, how’s all that Muslim outreach workin out for ya?

[null and void]

EVERYTHING obama does either:

a) Weakens America
b) Distances America's allies
c) Strengthens America's enemies
d) Serves Islam
e) Harms Israel
Or some combination of the above.

I have yet to have anyone raise a single substantive counter example in several years of posting this.

[Iron Munro]

Obama’s Failed Islamist Outreach

[Jack Hammer]

From day one, Obama’s been bending over and holding his ankles for the Muzzies - even as he’s been scr*wing Israel who, once upon a time, in halcyon days now vanished - was our best and only reliable ally in the Middle East.

Now, of course, we have NO allies in the Middle East.

Just one more Obama administration f*ckup among couuntless others.