Posted on 06/17/2016 7:16:16 AM PDT by Kaslin
Protesting the Obama administrations policy in Syria, dozens of State Department officers have signed an internal document calling on the administration to order targeted military strikes against Damascus to force regime change as the only way to defeat ISIS, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The dissent channel cable was signed by 51 State Department officers involved with advising on Syria policy in various capacities, according to an official familiar with the document. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a copy of the cable, which repeatedly calls for targeted military strikes against the Syrian government in light of the near-collapse of the ceasefire brokered earlier this year.
The views expressed by the U.S. officials in the cable amount to a scalding internal critique of a longstanding U.S. policy against taking sides in the Syrian war, a policy that has survived even though the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has been repeatedly accused of violating ceasefire agreements and Russian-backed forces have attacked U.S.-trained rebels.
While use of the dissent channel is not unique, according to U.S. officials, the number of diplomats signing on was.
Its embarrassing for the administration to have so many rank-and-file members break on Syria, a former State Department official who worked on Middle East policy told the Journal.
The cable warns that the U.S. is losing prospective allies among Syrias majority Sunni population in its fight against the Sunni extremist group Islamic State while the regime continues to bomb and starve them. […]
It calls for the U.S. to change course and create a more robust partnership with moderate rebel forces to fight against both Islamic State and Mr. Assads government. Many Syrian Arab rebels have been reluctant to join the U.S.-led coalition because of its singular focus on Islamic State and not on the regime.
Such a force would shift the tide of the conflict against the regime [to] increase the chances for peace by sending a clear signal to the regime and its backers that there will be no military solution to the conflict.
The Obama administration has attempted to steer clear of attacking Assads regime because they argue it could embroil the U.S. in direct conflict with Russia and Iran.
But in the cable, officials say Russia and Assad have not taken past negotiations and ceasefires seriously; thus, they suggest a more muscular military posture going forward, the Journal reports.
Failure to stem Assads flagrant abuses will only bolster the ideological appeal of groups such as Daesh, even as they endure tactical setbacks on the battlefield, the cable reads.
Yep. The State Dept wants ISIS to take over, as does Obama. They both also just wants others to do the ugly work.
HUH???
Idiots...they are calling for a strike on Russia.
When does Congress get involved?
When does anyone get arrested?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.