- FPI’s Evan Moore: Is Aleppo Obama’s Srebrenica?
Russia’s completion this month of an integrated air defense system in Syria has made an Obama administration decision to strike Syrian government installations from the air even less likely than it has been for years, and has created a substantial obstacle to the Syrian safe zones both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have advocated. – Washington Post
Russian and Syrian troops suspended bombing sorties around Aleppo on Tuesday in preparation for aid convoys to reach the besieged Syrian city, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
European Union foreign ministers on Monday pledged swift action to broaden sanctions against the Assad regime in Syria and called on Russia to live up to its responsibilities and end the bombing of Aleppo immediately. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Syrian rebels said on Tuesday they rejected any withdrawal of fighters from Aleppo after Russia announced a halt in air raids which it said was designed to allow insurgents to leave and to separate moderate fighters from extremist militants. - Reuters
FPI Senior Policy Analyst Evan Moore writes: Although President Obama has long made clear that he opposes any such intervention in Syria, his inaction is not only allowing more Syrians to be killed, but also exacerbating the challenges awaiting his successor. Before his presidency ends, Mr. Obama should take decisive action to prevent the fall of Aleppo – the only path to avoid an even greater humanitarian disaster, preserve the options of his successor, and advance any hope toward the diplomatic solution he so desires. – Foreign Policy Initiative
Michael O’Hanlon writes: Confederation is not so bad. And a peace accord establishing it could always mandate a constitutional convention in, say, ten years to see whether the country can be more tightly reintegrated at that point. The dream of Syria as we knew it need not be destroyed forever. But right now, it has no relevance to the nightmare that will continue to endure if we remain so strategically unrealistic in our political vision for the country. – Brookings Institution
Oubai Shahbandar writes: Obama administration officials counter that Putin's actions in Syria are "self-defeating." Somehow, Putin has yet to get the memo. That's because for Putin, the Cold War did not end -- it has been merely re-branded. And until we have a US President who understands this fundamental point, Russia's carte blanche military intervention in Syria will only serve to undermine US strategic interests in the region -- if not worldwide. - CNN
Anna Borshchevskaya and Cmdr. Jeremy Vaughan, USN write: These steps can show allies that the United States is committed to the region while giving Washington leverage to influence any future conflicts there. In the end, Putin's power is limited, but he will continue to test the West until it pushes back. And if Washington does not take a more active role in preserving its regional relationships, Putin will continue to degrade American influence. – Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Russian and Syrian troops suspended bombing sorties around Aleppo on Tuesday in preparation for aid convoys to reach the besieged Syrian city, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
European Union foreign ministers on Monday pledged swift action to broaden sanctions against the Assad regime in Syria and called on Russia to live up to its responsibilities and end the bombing of Aleppo immediately. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Syrian rebels said on Tuesday they rejected any withdrawal of fighters from Aleppo after Russia announced a halt in air raids which it said was designed to allow insurgents to leave and to separate moderate fighters from extremist militants. - Reuters
FPI Senior Policy Analyst Evan Moore writes: Although President Obama has long made clear that he opposes any such intervention in Syria, his inaction is not only allowing more Syrians to be killed, but also exacerbating the challenges awaiting his successor. Before his presidency ends, Mr. Obama should take decisive action to prevent the fall of Aleppo – the only path to avoid an even greater humanitarian disaster, preserve the options of his successor, and advance any hope toward the diplomatic solution he so desires. – Foreign Policy Initiative
Michael O’Hanlon writes: Confederation is not so bad. And a peace accord establishing it could always mandate a constitutional convention in, say, ten years to see whether the country can be more tightly reintegrated at that point. The dream of Syria as we knew it need not be destroyed forever. But right now, it has no relevance to the nightmare that will continue to endure if we remain so strategically unrealistic in our political vision for the country. – Brookings Institution
Oubai Shahbandar writes: Obama administration officials counter that Putin's actions in Syria are "self-defeating." Somehow, Putin has yet to get the memo. That's because for Putin, the Cold War did not end -- it has been merely re-branded. And until we have a US President who understands this fundamental point, Russia's carte blanche military intervention in Syria will only serve to undermine US strategic interests in the region -- if not worldwide. - CNN
Anna Borshchevskaya and Cmdr. Jeremy Vaughan, USN write: These steps can show allies that the United States is committed to the region while giving Washington leverage to influence any future conflicts there. In the end, Putin's power is limited, but he will continue to test the West until it pushes back. And if Washington does not take a more active role in preserving its regional relationships, Putin will continue to degrade American influence. – Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Nick Danforth writes: [I]t remains to be seen whether Aleppo will prove to be Syria’s Srebrenica. But if the next president, concluding that the perception of American weakness has reached an unacceptable level, decides to strike Assad, history, for better or worse, will have repeated itself. – War on the Rocks
Patrick Ball writes: The Syrian civil war will eventually end, and if Syria is to turn to a more just and more democratic future, there will need to be some form of transitional justice. This process may include public acknowledgements of past crimes, criminal prosecutions, memorials, an official history written by a truth commission, or some combination of those steps. But all of these approaches depend on knowing the truth about the past. One part of that truth is the statistical pattern — the trends and magnitude of mass violence. – Foreign Policy
Patrick Ball writes: The Syrian civil war will eventually end, and if Syria is to turn to a more just and more democratic future, there will need to be some form of transitional justice. This process may include public acknowledgements of past crimes, criminal prosecutions, memorials, an official history written by a truth commission, or some combination of those steps. But all of these approaches depend on knowing the truth about the past. One part of that truth is the statistical pattern — the trends and magnitude of mass violence. – Foreign Policy
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