Burning the midnight oil in Geneva Aug. 26 to resolve the nearly six-year-old Syrian War, 70-year-old Secretary of State John Kerry and 66-year-old Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov find themselves on opposite sides. While both want a pause for humanitarian reasons, they can’t see eye-to-eye on leaving Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in place until Syrian elections create any change. Since the Syrian War broke out March 11, 2011, President Barack Obama rubber stamped the Saudi position on toppling Mideast dictators, something known as the Arab Spring. While Tunisia’s dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali went down Jan. 14, 2011, Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak toppled Feb. 11, 2011, Libya’s dictator Col. Muammar Gaddafi ousted Aug. 24, 2011, the Mideast has been turned into a terrorist cauldron. Obama shows he’s learned nothing from the Iraq War.
Toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein April 10, 2003 spread anarchy all over the Mideast, with various terror groups vying for control of Iraq. Before the U.S. Iraq War, Saddam kept Islamic terrorists under control, ruling Iraq with an iron fist. Once ousted, terrorism spread in Iraq like wildfire. Obama inherited the mess from former President Geroge W. Bush, determined to end the Iraq War at the earliest possible time. When Obama ordered all U.S. combat forces out of Iraq Dec. 15, 2011, it created another power vacuum, spreading more terrorism, leading to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS]. Iraq’s beleaguered military could contain the terrorist onslaught seeking to topple Baghdad. Three years later, ISIS conquered some 30% of Iraq and Syria, staking its claim of a new Islamic caliphate. Iraq and Syria are now home to a terrorist free-for-all.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated his position clearly Sept. 28, 2015 in the U.N. General Assembly. Putin told member-states that toppling al-Assad would spread more death, destruction and terrorism over the region. Two days later, Putin began a pivotal air campaign to support al-Assad government. Less than a year later, al-Assad’s reclaiming lost Syrian territory, inching closer to goal of defeating terrorists in Syria. Obama and Kerry know exactly Putin’s position on Syria. Yet they’ve persisted in trying to convince Moscow that the best outcome is to topple al-Assad. Obama and Kerry have sacrificed U.S.-Russian relations to placate Saudi Arabia, who’s left no doubt that they won’t stop their proxy war against al-Assad unless he leaves Damascus. Neither Obama nor Kerry can explain why they back the Saudi-Turk proxy war against al-Assad’s secular Shiite government.
Meeting with Lavrov, Kerry finally looks ready to give up Saudi demands for regime change in Damascus. Discussing the urgent need for a humanitarian corridor in Aleppo, Kerry and Lavrov want a pause in the violence. “Today, I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward,” said an unnamed U.S. diplomat privy to the peace talks. Kerry stressed that “neither of us is [ready] to make an announcement that is predicated on failure—we don’t want to have a deal for the sake of a deal,” said Kerry, not committing to changing the U.S. position on ousting al-Assad. Whether the U.S. wants to admit it or not, backing the Saudi proxy war has contributed to the 300,000 body-count and refugee crisis threatening to destroy the European Union. Expecting a sovereign state like Syria to give into Saudi demands for regime change is both baffling and unrealistic.
Syria has fought for nearly six years against a determined Saudi-U.S-Turkey funded proxy war. Putin’s Sept 28 air support helped keep various Saudi-U.S.-Turkey funded rebel groups at bay, giving al-Assad’s government a fighting chance at saving Syria’s sovereignty. When you consider the Arab Spring brought down Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, the Saudis assumed al-Assad would fold like a deck of cards. When he put up a fierce fight, the U.S. blamed al-Assad for causing the Syria War, knowing that he was defending Syria’s sovereignty. When Putin joined the fight to save Syria, the U.S. continued to back the Saudi proxy war, only now recognizing that al-Assad’s winning the war. Agreeing to leave the Damascus suburb of Daraya, Saudi-U.S.-Turkey backed rebels surrendered their arms and began leaving. Daraya was occupied by Saudi-funded rebels for over four years.
When you consider the catastrophic consequences of the Syrian War on the European Union, you’d think German Chancellor Angela Merkel would have urged Lavrov and Kerry to strike a peace deal. Syria’s refugee crisis spilling into the U.K led to the June 23 Brexit vote, ending the U.K’s membership in the EU. It’s not rocket science how to end the Syrian War. Saudi Arabia must accept that it can’t continue funding a proxy war to topple al-Assad. U.S. and EU officials must sit down with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and tell him enough-is-enough: Let al-Assad stay in Damascus until democratic elections pick new leadership. Given the nearly six-year humanitarian disaster, Putin’s decision to defend al-Assad makes sense. Funding various rebel groups to topple al-Assad has only made a bad situation worse, calling the U.S. and EU to demand Saudi Arabia stop its proxy war.
