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Assad Has Won and America Must Go. What does Washington think it can accomplish in Syria?
[NationalInterest] Syrian government forces and their allies stand ready to roll into the province of Idlib and extinguish the last major rebel stronghold in the country. Russian air attacks pummeled Idlib in early September. Today’s announcement of a Russo-Turkish agreement for a buffer zone in Idlib appears to have postponed a full-scale attack on the province, but it is likely to be only a temporary reprieve . The Syrian civil war is in its endgame. Yet at this late hour, holding few cards, the United States has doubled down on its Syrian intervention. Why? America’s Syria policy is now in dire straits. On September 3 President Trump made a typical Twitter threat, warning Bashar al-Assad not to "recklessly attack Idlib Province." This bluster was paired with a far more serious announcement. The administration’s newly-appointed "representative for Syria engagement," retired diplomat James Jeffrey, told reporters that the United States had redefined its Syria goals to include the withdrawal of all Iranians and Iranian proxy forces from Syria and the "establishment of a stable, non-threatening government acceptable to all Syrians and the international community." Jeffrey added: "That means we are not in a hurry ." Posted by: Herb McCoy 2018-09-25 |
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