Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, 70-year-old Secretary of State John Kerry finally acquiesced to Moscow’s backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Striking the first optimistic tone since Putin invaded Crimea March 1, 2014, Kerry backed down from Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy of toppling Bashar al-Assad. Before yesterday’s agreement with Moscow, Washington rubber-stamped the Saudi-funded Wahhabi proxy war seeking regime change in Damascus. For years, even before al-Assad crossed President Barack Obama’s “red line” of using chemical weapons, the White House stubbornly insisted on regime change in Damascus. Without any U.N. Security Council resolution, the White House backed the Saudi position of toppling a U.N.-recognized state. Changing that unrealistic position has now opened the door for better relations with Moscow.
Nearly seven years into his presidency, Obama figured out its better to improve relations with Russia, regardless of the Kremlin’s policy on Ukraine. Listening to the Dec.15 CNN GOP debate in Las Vegas, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie exposed why he’s not ready for the Oval Office, insisting he, like Turkey, would shoot down a Russian fighter jet if they strayed into a no-fly zone. Sen. Rand Paul branded Christy the would-be WWIII president, speaking so recklessly about military options. Christy would have shown better judgment had he told CNN’s moderator Wolf Blitzer he won’t engage in hypotheticals or comment to possible military actions. Listening to Christy shows how trigger-happy and little judgment displayed by some presidential candidates. Kerry’s flexibility in dealing with the al-Assad question opened the door for improved U.S.-Russian relations.
When you consider the history, as Paul pointed out in the CNN debate, of toppling dictators like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, spreading chaos and terrorism around the Middle East, it’s no wonder that Putin opposes toppling al-Assad. Whatever financial or strategic interests Putin has in Syria, he’s seen what happens when nations mess with entrenched dictators. Egypt hasn’t been stable since President Hosni Mubarak was chased out of Cairo Feb. 11, 2014 by an angry mob. Obama and Kerry came to their senses, realizing the getting rid of al-Assad isn’t on the priority list. Coordinating efforts to deal with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] is far more pressing. Only Saudi Arabia, which announced Dec. 13 the creating to a 34-member counter-terrorism alliance, continues to fund a Sunni proxy war against al-Assad’s Shiite regime.
Speaking a day after meeting with Kerry, Putin told his lengthy year-end press conference that he sought improved relations with the U.S. “In general, we like it,” said Putin, about Kerry’s proposals to end the Syrian civil war. “I believe that the Syrian authorities should be OK with it too, although they may not like something in it,” regarding provisions for eventual regime change. Putin told Kerry, while he agrees in principle with the idea of regime change, it’s up to the Syrian people to decide their fate, not a Saudi-funded proxy war. “We will help settle the crisis in every way possible,” said Putin, hinting at more cooperation with the U.S. Since invading Crimea March 1, 2014, Putin’s been on the outs with most Western powers, especially the U.S. that tends to back Kiev’s pro-Western government of chocolate baron Petro Poroshenko. Putin has little regard for Poroshenko.
Putin said it was next to impossible to restore favorable relations with Turkey after downing a Russian fighter jet Nov. 24 for inadvertently breaching Turkish airspace. When Christy said he’d essentially to the same thing, it showed he’s not ready for commander-in-chief. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu refuse to apologize to Moscow, citing Turkey’s right to defend its airspace. Erdogan doesn’t see how utterly reckless his air force in shooting down a Russian fighter jet. Straying to Turkey’s air space for a few seconds posed no threat to Turkey or any other Western country. Christy’s knee-jerk response when asked whether or not he’d do the same thing, showed abysmal judgment. Whatever one’s airspace boundaries, there’s no justification to shoot down anyone’s plane unless it poses a national security threat.
Putin’s conciliatory remarks, asking for improved relations with the U.S., mirror Obama and Kerry’s flexibility in dealing with Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Letting go of regime change in Damascus has opened the door to cooperate on resolving the Syrian civil war, costing some 250,000 lives and millions of refugees. If the U.S. can get Russia seriously committed to destroying ISIS, it would help U.S. and European Union’s national security. Most terrorists seeking to infiltrate the West wind up in Europe, especially France, Belgium and the U.K. As thousands of Syrians get relocated to Germany, Poland, Denmark and Sweeden, it could present terrorist risks. Putin expressed disappointment in Turkey’s response to shooting down a Russian fighter jet, accusing Erdogan, and his family of trafficking in cheap ISIS oil, repackaging it for the black market.
