Warning Russia to expect casualties in Syria, 61-year-old U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter exposed the Obama administration’s utter foreign policy failure in Syria. Unlike President Barack Obama that can’t figure out the U.S. mission in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin acted decisively, sending 1,500 Russian troops, heavy equipment and the air force to reinforce Syrian President Bashar al-Assad weakened government. Watching Obama’s feckless bombing campaign since 2014 against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, Putin decided he’s all in to help his longstanding ally defeat a nearly five-year-long Saudi-funded Sunni civil war trying to topple his Alawite Shiite government. U.S. officials refuse to see the big picture, that, no matter how much they detest al-Assad, he’s far better in power that the Islamic extremist group likely to replace him.
Obama, his Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary find themselves on the same side as ISIS and al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra Front trying to topple Bashar al-Assad’s government. When Obama first ran for president in 2008, he was emphatically against former President George W. Bush’s Iraq War, precisely because toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein created the dreaded power vacuum that spread more terrorism in the Middle East. Once sworn in Jan. 20, 2009, Obama apparently forgot what happened in Iraq, backing a coup that toppled Libya strongman Col. Muammar Gaddafi Aug. 24, 2011. Since driving Gaddafi out, Libya’s been transformed into another terrorist free-for-all. Russian President Vladimir Putin told the U.N. General Assembly Sept. 28 that driving al-Assad out of Damascus would repeat the exact same mistakes in Iraq and Libya.
Telling NATO foreign ministers that Russia’s Syria campaign “will have consequences for Russia itself, which is rightly fearful of attacks,” Carter sends bizarre message. Warning of possible terrorist attacks in Russia, Carter reveals precisely what’s wrong with the Obama terrorist policy: It’s on the defense. Putin’s decision to go to Syria to defend a stanch ally, home of Russia’s Tartus naval base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, is a clear-and-decisive mission. Obama, Kerry and Carter’s muddled mission of seeking regime change in Damascus, while prosecuting an air campaign against ISIS, makes no sense. Learning from Iraq and Libya, the last thing the U.S. should want is to remove al-Assad. “In coming days, the Russians will begin to suffer from casualties,” said Carter, stating the obvious but revealing why the White House won’t put U.S. boots on the ground.
NATO’s foreign ministers have made it abundantly clear that the mass exodus from Syria into Europe is not sustainable. To stop the mass migration, all parties, including Russia, would have to coordinate a plan to defeat ISIS, something that everyone, other than the White House, agrees is necessary to succeed. Talking about possible Russian casualties, Carter hopes to win broader support to the ambiguous, limited role the U.S. plays in Syria. Putin’s decision to go in with both feet embarrassed the U.S. and NATO, because it’s the only logical way to end the Syrian civil war. Since Russia started bombing targets in Syria Sept. 30, the U.S. and its NATO allies have complained that Putin’s going after more targets than ISIS. U.S. officials are well aware of the numerous Saudi-backed Sunni groups seeking to topple al-Assad’s Alawite Shiite government.
Putin made it clear Sept. 28 at the U.N. that Russia would defend al-Assad, going after any group that threatened Damascus. “There’s a pattern of saying one thing and doing another,” said Carter, accusing Russia of going after targets other than ISIS. With an unexpected Russian Cruise missile strike at terrorist targets in Syria, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stotenberg expressed concern. “We will assess the latest development and their implications for the security of the alliance,” said Stoltenberg, knowing that Russia’s Syrian intervention has little impact on NATO security. Since Russia invaded Crimea March 1, 2014, the U.S. and NATO resumed a Cold War footing. Russia’s involvement in Syria faces the same skepticism as its involvement in Crimea and Ukraine’s Donbass region where pro-Russian separatists have tried to breakaway from the Kiev government.
Obama’s Syrian policy lacks direction and focus, currently mired in an ineffectual bombing campaign against ISIS. Insisting on regime change in Damascus pits the U.S. against Russia at a time when both countries need more cooperation. Judging by what happened in Iraq and Libya, the White House should put its regime change policy on hold and join Moscow in a carefully orchestrated campaign topple ISIS and other Sunni terror groups. Speaking in Rome, Carter clarified that the U.S. has no intent of coordinated military operations with Moscow. Whatever NATO’s concerns about Russian encroachment in former Soviet satellites, the U.S. must figure out the best way to defeat ISIS and restore stability to Syria and the wider Middle East. Repeating past mistakes in Iraq and Libya won’t solve either. Partnering with Moscow to defeat ISIS would be a step in the right direction.
