The U.S.-Russian chemical weapons deal is a win-win-win for everyone except the Syrians.

The U.S.-Russian chemical weapons deal is a win-win-win for everyone except the Syrians..

You can try to sugarcoat death and defeat, but that will not change what they are. This deal is a diplomatic and a strategic loss even to the US, because sometimes “how we got there” is far more important than what has been achieved. The how in this case informs the what and seals its fate. We are here, because Obama is apathetic, Kerry a bungler , and Putin and Assad megalomaniac butchers. No deal reached between this four can prove lasting or good. Today, the Syrians will lose, even the pro-Assad fools, but as tomorrow will soon reveal, the fate of many other peoples is at stake as well, and it won’t be pretty.

Small Window

President Obama should actually accept the Russian proposal calling for putting Assad’s chemical stockpiles under international monitoring as a prelude to disposing of them. The proposal has already been endorsed by the Assad regime. But it should be up to the Obama Administration to provide a plan and timetable regarding the specific steps that need to be taken in this regard. This should include the following points:

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Syria: the method and the madness

NOW Lebanon

There is method to the madness that is currently unfolding in Syria. When you consider the patterns and timing of arms flows into the country, consider who the final recipients are, and consider when certain battles start and stop, when certain explosions or massacres happen, you can only come to this conclusion. Continue reading “Syria: the method and the madness” →

The Front Lines of the Syrian Civil War: Pro-democracy activist Ammar Abdulhamid visits IWP

The Institute of World Politics

On July 18, The Institute of World Politics hosted Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian pro-democracy activist who currently lives in exile for his activities against the Syrian regime.

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