Obama Is the Problem, Not Only Russia

Regarding the situation in Syria, Russia is not the only one to blame. One of the biggest problems is the Obama administration, which is wasting a golden opportunity to get rid of one of the main obstacles to the region’s stability, Bashar Assad. This is affecting U.S. national security as well. It is obvious that President Obama is not concerned with the security in the region, which is an extension of global security as a whole because chaos in Syria means chaos overlooking the Mediterranean. Obama is more occupied with his re-election.

The U.S. administration has criticized the Syrian opposition as much as it has criticized the Assad regime, if not more. But what is worse, and a huge scandal, is that the Obama administration spoke of al-Qaida’s presence in Syria although al-Qaida had wreaked havoc in Iraq under the supervision of the Assad regime. But do you know why we use the term “scandal” here? The Washington Post reported two CIA officers as saying that Washington’s only evidence for the presence of al-Qaida in Syria is the style — yes, the style — of the bombing in Damascus, nothing more! On this basis, the Obama administration is asking the opposition to unify its ranks. Washington must be aware that unification of the opposition requires international support and serious effort, i.e., a command center, not just statements.

The problem with the current U.S. administration is that it is notorious for misreading the events taking place in the region. It is sufficient here to ponder over Obama’s interaction with the Green Revolution. Instead of supporting it, he decided to withdraw from Iraq and leave it in the hands of al-Maliki and Tehran! Regarding Syria, the Obama administration says that the Assad regime is holding together. This is expected for a number of reasons, among which is the fact that Washington is aware of the extent of Iran’s support for Assad in terms of arms, finance, men and equipment, through Iraq. This makes it difficult for any Syrian official to join the opposition as he does not see a serious stance from Obama, who is against arming the rebels and did not announce that the fall of the tyrant as a national security issue.

How can entire military units defect when there is no room to ensure the protection of the defectors and help them to rebuild their ranks? In Libya, those who defected could go to Benghazi, but where do potential Syrian defectors go? If the Obama administration wants to see defections promptly, it should take a firm stand. It should also remember the time of Bush Jr. — when he brandished a stick at Assad after the assassination of [Lebanese Prime Minister] Hariri and the International Tribunal was imminent, [Interior Minister] Ghazi Kanaan thought of staging a coup and was consequently eliminated. So, where is the stick today and where is the court?

The other thing is that by looking back at recent history, we will find that no one from Saddam’s regime defected before the U.S. invasion and even in its early days. The Iraqis knew at the time that if they did, they and their whole families would be exterminated. The Assad regime is even worse, so how can the Syrians make a move if they do not see a firm stance from Washington?

The problem doesn’t come from Russia alone but also from Obama’s hesitation and his administration, which wrongly reads global events, leaving Syrians to fend for themselves in the face of atrocities committed by the Assad regime, and wastes the greatest opportunity to bring stability to the region and to suppress Iran’s influence there. Can anyone explain this to Obama?