Administration officials trump regularly point to the failed policies of the Obama administration in Syria, trying to justify his approach, which involves cooperation with Russia, agreed to preserve the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad and the collapse of the American program to support the moderate Syrian opposition, which operated for several years.
But, although the team trump inherited an extremely difficult situation in Syria, the way she plays her cards on hand, is a repetition of the same mistakes committed by President Barack Obama. And this policy of team trump, likely to entail exactly the same negative consequences for both the Syrian conflict and U.S. interests.
Last week at a forum on security issues in aspen the Director of the CIA Mike Pompeo (Mike Pompeo) outlined his vision of U.S. interests in Syria. According to him, in Syria the US has two fundamental enemy — the Islamic state (a terrorist organization banned in Russia — approx. ed.) and Iran. US objectives are to prevent Iran from creating a zone of control that covers the entire region, and to “create conditions to stabilize the Middle East and the security of America.”
According to Pompeo, the President of trump no choice but to cooperate with Russia in Syria, because in 2013, Obama and the then U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry (John Kerry) “invited” Putin in Syria to work together to solve the problem of Syrian chemical weapons. But Pompeo added that the US is still no indisputable evidence that in Syria, Russia wants to fight the terrorists.
According to Pompeo, U.S. interests in Syria differ from the interests of Russia. What are Russia’s objectives in Syria? “They like their warm-water port, and they like to bring trouble to America.”
Pompeo rights, but he is not responsible for us policy in Syria. The sole responsibility of the Secretary of state Rex Tillerson (Rex Tillerson), which earlier in July, made the opposite statement in Hamburg, immediately after the meeting, trump and Putin, during which they agreed to a truce in the South-West of Syria.
“I believe that Russia, like us, interested in the fact that Syria is stabilized again became a unified country,” said Tillerson.
Acting assistant Secretary of state Stuart Jones (Stuart Jones) also spoke in aspen, saying that the US actually gave Russia responsibility for security in Syria, allowing them to monitor the implementation of the truce.
“This is the real test for the ability of Russians to lead this process, he said. The solution was to lay the responsibility on the Russians, and if they fail, it will be a problem.”
Many of these words Jones seem very familiar. Almost exactly the same wording used Kerry at the moment when he was negotiating with Russia on the issue of ceasefire in Syria in late 2015 and early 2016. Kerry has repeatedly said that Russia’s willingness to be a constructive partner in Syria should be checked. And Russia repeatedly fail this test, simultaneously helping the Assad regime to expand the area of control and to commit crimes against their own people.
Obama and Kerry really made a lot of mistakes. The program for the preparation and provision of weapons to Syrian rebels had a lot of flaws and, quite possibly, provoked Russia to intervene militarily in 2015. After the military campaign in Syria, the Obama administration stopped insisting on Assad’s removal and began to work with the Russians on the establishment of a truce, because it was the only way to stop it.
Many believe that trump has no choice but to continue Obama’s policies in Syria. As Ambassador of Jordan in Washington Dina Kawar (Kawar Dina), “what are the alternatives?”
Perhaps they simply do not. But the administration trump’s not worth repeating the main mistake Kerry, who negotiated with Russia, not having a powerful influence on her. That’s why trump’s decision to turn the CIA program for training and providing arms to the Syrian rebels fighting against Assad, is so short-sighted. Trump inferior to the few levers of influence that he now has nothing.
Trump also it is not necessary to repeat the second mistake of the Obama administration, implying that he allowed Assad and Iran to expand their zone of control. According to Jones, the regime and its partners used the truce in the South-West of Syria to free up resources that can be sent to the South-East of Syria, where now there is a struggle for the strategically important area around Deir ez-Zor.
The administration of the tramp, obviously, quite satisfied that Iran and Assad will soon take over another large part of the Syrian territories. But the Arab Sunnis do not want it. “What are we going to do when these people returned to their homes will come under fire by Iranian troops?” — asked Andrew Tabler (Andrew Tabler), senior research fellow at the Washington Institute for near East policy.
Finally trump the need to intensify assistance to the local communities of Sunni Arabs, if not weapons, through support of local government, education and basic services. Help local leaders is an important prerequisite for long-term stability. She will play a key role, when to start the political process.
The administration of the tramp is not responsible for the past mistakes of America in Syria, but it is responsible for what the US is doing there now. Instead of just blaming all the ills Obama and Kerry, that the administration should build its policy based on the lessons learned from past failures.
