New Statesman: No Serious Strategy for Syria

After seven years of civil war, Syria is in peril. UN peace efforts have flailed, and leaders of Iran, Turkey and Russia have met just before a chemical attack on Ghouta. The three countries do not agree on a role for Syria’s leader Bashar al-Assad, but are “are increasingly alienated from the West, have a substantive military presence on the ground within Syria, want to keep the Saudis and Israelis out, and regard themselves as the true power-brokers in the future settlement of the country.” Israel is presumed to have launched surprise attacks on Syrian military sites, and the United States, France and Great Britain launched limited airstrikes on other military sites after issuing warnings. The West has ignored “red lines” set on Syria including a declaration from the start that Assad must be deposed. “By keeping open a range of diplomatic options, there would have been more latitude to exercise a tourniquet approach against the regime, setting its actions within bounds that could realistically be policed,” concludes John Bew for New Statesman. “Opportunities came and went to take measures stopping short of any substantive military intervention, such as the establishment of a no-fly zone to provide some space for talks to occur.” – YaleGlobal