Has Obama Changed?

In his speech yesterday, U.S. President Barack Obama proved that he sees the world with clear eyes and a realistic mind, even more so than before. True, his time in office may be summarized by a time of suffering and trying to reduce risks, but the American government has figured out developments on the ground early. Therefore, it is important to renew work with the United States in order to curb the chaos of terrorism in the region, and to bring an end to the tragedy in Syria.

President Obama got close to saying that he was determined to change the situation in Syria by saying that he wants to support the opposition, and even to rally support for the opposition. He sees clearly that the Syrian opposition is the best option, which, in the mind of coalition leader Ahmad Jarba, is the third option. Jarba, in his recent trip to the White House, said that the world must choose whether to have (1) a criminal regime ruling Damascus, currently rejected by the majority of its people; (2) terrorist groups wreaking havoc there; or (3) a moderate Syrian opposition which includes all Syrian groups.

We return to our question: Has the U.S. government modified its position on Syria and on other issues in the region?

President Obama’s welcoming the head of the Syrian opposition coalition coincided with the shutting down of al-Assad’s embassy in Washington and his consulates in Michigan and Texas, as well as the announcement that America had agreed to provide part of the opposition with quality weapons to combat the regime’s heavy weapons. The growing concern expressed by Obama toward the Syrian situation comes amid a growing concern on the part of Europe as well. There has been a movement to force the crimes onto the International Criminal Court, and even Jordan has joined the ranks of those who have kicked out their Syrian ambassador.

The effort to bring order to Syria is no longer the concern of 20 million Syrians, suffering from the worst disaster the region has known in years; the issue is now about peace and security for everyone. The huge expansion of groups linked to al-Qaida, recruiting thousands of young men and women to fight on their side, and the way in which they have been able to position themselves to take wide control in Syria, makes this issue severely dangerous outside of Syria’s borders. It is just part of the wide map of terrorism including Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Sub-Saharan Africa.

We expect that international concern with Syria means that the attempt to find solutions has become serious. The political solution will not be actualized until the military option is taken. Strengthening the military capabilities of the moderate opposition will allow them to get the upper hand over the regime forces, pushing them back to the negotiating table.

If those nations who are allied with al-Assad’s regime wish to take on the situation again, this will cost them dearly in both men and money, and they won’t stand a chance against the major forces entering the fight on the side of the opposition. All of this depends on the seriousness of the U.S. government and the sincerity of what Obama said yesterday regarding the urgency of putting a stop to terrorism and supporting the moderate opposition.