With world leaders converging at the United Nations, things seem to be moving really fast on the Syrian crisis — at least going by comments of country heads. In a much-watched speech, US President Barack Obama used strong words for Syrian ruler Bashar Al Assad, calling him a tyrant and the main perpetrator of the four-year conflict that has killed about 250,000 people and driven millions from their homes. And Assad deserves such words of condemnation. Being the root cause of the conflict, he is hiding behind a façade put up with the help of staunch allies Russia and Iran.
Declaring that the US is ready to engage with Russia and Iran to resolve the conflict, Obama asserted that there can be no return to the pre-war status quo. Though it doesn’t say anything new, it counters Iran’s statement earlier. Iranian President Hassan Rowhani told US network CNN on Sunday he saw a widespread acceptance among major powers that Assad should stay in office. There were some murmurs about the indispensability of Assad, but none from the major powers except Russia. The desperation to stand by Assad showed in the words of Rowhani: In Syria, when our first objective is to drive out terrorists and combating terrorists to defeat them, we have no solution other than to strengthen the central authority of that country as a central seat of power.
Tehran has been using Syria as a ruse to drive its agenda in the region, just like Russia has done in Ukraine. It is hard for Tehran and Moscow to see the fallacy of supporting Assad overwhelmed as the two countries are by bigoted anti-Westernism and an elevated sense of self-adulation. Domestic expediency is another reason leaders of the two nations want to support the Syrian regime. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is to keep Russians distracted from the pain of an economic debacle brought about by painful Western sanctions. For Rowhani, it is the compulsion of making regime hardliners happy and keeping the attention of the population diverted from core domestic problems.
In his UN speech, the Russian strongman blamed the rise of terrorism on US military interventions in Iraq and Libya. How will supporting an embattled Assad help wipe out terrorism from the region? The regime has lost more than two-thirds of Syria and the Islamic State has been making inroads in large swathes of the country. Assad’s forces have been responsible for gruesome strikes on civilians and the use of barrel bombs.
The US, Russia and Iran are one on fighting terrorism in Syria. The point of contention is Assad, who must go. The realisation that the Syrian president is at the root of the problem in the country must override all other considerations. But with Russia and Iran sticking to their stances, it doesn’t seem to be happening•
With world leaders converging at the United Nations, things seem to be moving really fast on the Syrian crisis — at least going by comments of country heads. In a much-watched speech, US President Barack Obama used strong words for Syrian ruler Bashar Al Assad, calling him a tyrant and the main perpetrator of the four-year conflict that has killed about 250,000 people and driven millions from their homes. And Assad deserves such words of condemnation. Being the root cause of the conflict, he is hiding behind a façade put up with the help of staunch allies Russia and Iran.
Declaring that the US is ready to engage with Russia and Iran to resolve the conflict, Obama asserted that there can be no return to the pre-war status quo. Though it doesn’t say anything new, it counters Iran’s statement earlier. Iranian President Hassan Rowhani told US network CNN on Sunday he saw a widespread acceptance among major powers that Assad should stay in office. There were some murmurs about the indispensability of Assad, but none from the major powers except Russia. The desperation to stand by Assad showed in the words of Rowhani: In Syria, when our first objective is to drive out terrorists and combating terrorists to defeat them, we have no solution other than to strengthen the central authority of that country as a central seat of power.
Tehran has been using Syria as a ruse to drive its agenda in the region, just like Russia has done in Ukraine. It is hard for Tehran and Moscow to see the fallacy of supporting Assad overwhelmed as the two countries are by bigoted anti-Westernism and an elevated sense of self-adulation. Domestic expediency is another reason leaders of the two nations want to support the Syrian regime. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, it is to keep Russians distracted from the pain of an economic debacle brought about by painful Western sanctions. For Rowhani, it is the compulsion of making regime hardliners happy and keeping the attention of the population diverted from core domestic problems.
In his UN speech, the Russian strongman blamed the rise of terrorism on US military interventions in Iraq and Libya. How will supporting an embattled Assad help wipe out terrorism from the region? The regime has lost more than two-thirds of Syria and the Islamic State has been making inroads in large swathes of the country. Assad’s forces have been responsible for gruesome strikes on civilians and the use of barrel bombs.
The US, Russia and Iran are one on fighting terrorism in Syria. The point of contention is Assad, who must go. The realisation that the Syrian president is at the root of the problem in the country must override all other considerations. But with Russia and Iran sticking to their stances, it doesn’t seem to be happening•
