| #6 "...strategy called for support of opposition groups..." I HATE this catch phrase. It a useless thing, an impotent tactic, like having a group discussion. There are a thousand things the US, oh yeah, and France, can do to destabilize the regime. And most of them are nasty, mean, brutal, and effective. Which is why they use the euphamism. They can't come out and say "First of all, we're going to give Assad's mistress a severe case of the clap, and then we're going to car bomb them back times 10 for the Harari assassination, and then we're going to crush them economically by ripping off their private Swiss bank accounts, and then start causing some blood feuds between tribes, etc." |
The United States was said to have embarked on a plan to destabilize Syria. Western diplomatic sources and analysts said the United States and France have agreed to cooperate in a policy meant to significantly weaken the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. They said the U.S.-French strategy called for support of opposition groups in Lebanon and Syria as well as pro-U.S. elements within Syria's ruling Baath Party and encouraging Kurdish separatism. The policy has also sought to create fissures between the Iranian-backed Hizbullah and Damascus, the sources said. Hizbullah, which maintains a dialogue with France, has been the leading ally of Damascus in maintaining the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. "France and the United States want Assad to sweat and they're helping those in a position to do so," a Western diplomat said.