Surprise, surprise, surprise! Russian president Vladimir Putin is now questioning whether the USA really supports the agreement reached just a week ago for a cease fire in Syria. According to Putin, the USA is just not doing enough to rein in the Sunni rebels fighting against Assad. Putin says that the USA wants to keep not just the non-terrorist rebels but also the terrorists, so that the entire group can fight against Assad. Earlier today, the Assad forces announced that US planes had bombed Assad's positions at an airport in northeast Syria, but the key there is that the coordinates for the attack came from the Russians. What is happening is the pivot for the Russian/Iranian/Assad group away from the cease fire agreement.
One week ago, John Kerry announced that the USA and Russia had reached an agreement for a Syrian cease fire. That agreement was a disaster and completely unworkable. It required the USA to abandon many of its allies inside Syria. Obama and Kerry surely should have seen this, but they were too intent on being able to announce an agreement to care what the agreement actually contained. Obama made clear that the USA would no longer provide much support to the Kurds fighting ISIS in Syria; if there were any doubt among the Kurds, that was removed when Obama approved the use of US special forces to assist the Turks in their incursion in northern Syria. Much Turkish activity is against ISIS to be certain, but a substantial amount of activity is aimed at the Kurds as well. Obama also made clear that American support for the Free Syrian Army and other Sunni non-terrorist forces would be put on hold. It was a great gift by Obama to Putin. Obama got to say an agreement had been reached. Putin got to split the anti-Assad forces right down the middle. It is hard to imagine a better result for the Assad forces.
As the last week has passed, the dishonest nature of the pact has become more and more evident. The Russians and the Assad forces have kept all relief supplies from the starving Sunnis in Aleppo. These monsters would not even let poor Syrian civilians who have been under siege for months get food, water and medical supplies. Meanwhile, Assad and his allies have used the week to resupply their forces.
Today, we are getting the next big move. Putin's comments are testing Obama to see if he will give more so as to make the USA look even weaker and more unreliable as an ally. The appropriate American response would be to start bombing the Assad forces that are blocking the relief supplies into Aleppo. Most likely Obama will dispatch Kerry to speak to the Russians again for a few weeks only to come up with another agreement that can be announced and then ignored.
It is sad that today's events are so predictable. I would like to think that the US foreign policy is being run by people who understand what is happening. Clearly, however, that is not the case. Obama seems to have no concept of how foreign policy even works.
One week ago, John Kerry announced that the USA and Russia had reached an agreement for a Syrian cease fire. That agreement was a disaster and completely unworkable. It required the USA to abandon many of its allies inside Syria. Obama and Kerry surely should have seen this, but they were too intent on being able to announce an agreement to care what the agreement actually contained. Obama made clear that the USA would no longer provide much support to the Kurds fighting ISIS in Syria; if there were any doubt among the Kurds, that was removed when Obama approved the use of US special forces to assist the Turks in their incursion in northern Syria. Much Turkish activity is against ISIS to be certain, but a substantial amount of activity is aimed at the Kurds as well. Obama also made clear that American support for the Free Syrian Army and other Sunni non-terrorist forces would be put on hold. It was a great gift by Obama to Putin. Obama got to say an agreement had been reached. Putin got to split the anti-Assad forces right down the middle. It is hard to imagine a better result for the Assad forces.
As the last week has passed, the dishonest nature of the pact has become more and more evident. The Russians and the Assad forces have kept all relief supplies from the starving Sunnis in Aleppo. These monsters would not even let poor Syrian civilians who have been under siege for months get food, water and medical supplies. Meanwhile, Assad and his allies have used the week to resupply their forces.
Today, we are getting the next big move. Putin's comments are testing Obama to see if he will give more so as to make the USA look even weaker and more unreliable as an ally. The appropriate American response would be to start bombing the Assad forces that are blocking the relief supplies into Aleppo. Most likely Obama will dispatch Kerry to speak to the Russians again for a few weeks only to come up with another agreement that can be announced and then ignored.
It is sad that today's events are so predictable. I would like to think that the US foreign policy is being run by people who understand what is happening. Clearly, however, that is not the case. Obama seems to have no concept of how foreign policy even works.
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