G
Giovanni
Today at the G20 Summit, Obama said "a political solution is the only way to end the war in Syria" and insists that "diplomacy" is our strategy. Today in Paris, John Kerry said our strategy "begins with a sense of fierce solidarity among good and decent people everywhere with the vow that we will never be intimidated by terrorists". Mr. Kerry, the world IS intimidated because your suicidal tolerance has handcuffed us. If the entire world were to "stand united" against ISIS it would not change anything. "Standing" is not a strategy! This administration has no leadership skills and is clueless when it comes to foreign policy. Syria is in the middle of a civil war between the government forces of president Assad and the Syrian rebels and the Kurds as well as ISIS. These groups will never agree to a diplomatic solution. All sides see victory as the only solution. Assad will not let his country be divided in half to give the rebels a new state. The rebels will not agree to any solution that keeps Assad in power. The only end to this conflict will be the destruction of one or more of these forces. Russia has sided with Assad, while the US continues to support the rebel forces and Kurds. ISIS attacks all the groups. Syria attacks all the groups. The Kurds attack Assad and defend against ISIS and Turkey. The rebels attack Assad and defend against ISIS and Russia. There is no hope for "diplomacy" in this conflict. This is one of the most complex wars ever to be fought in the Middle East. At the heart of this war is the ancient hatred between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. This has been going on for centuries and there is nothing the US can do to bring a peaceful and diplomatic end to this conflict. Obama will accept no solution that would allow Assad to remain in power. I agree that Assad is a genocidal dictator who used chemical weapons on his own people. The human rights violations of Saddam Hussein were equally evil and Obama openly condemns the Iraq invasion. I think everyone now agrees that the Iraq war was one of the biggest mistakes in US history. Our slow and measured involvement in this war will end the same way.