Syria under Bashir Assad (closed end 2014)

[carl]

Think there is more going on than you're giving our policy wonks credit for.

http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/223971.htm



There are several talks going with numerous groups, but I suspect if we're interested in crushing ISIL we may share a limited and common objective with Assad. The world isn't black and white, and I know you know that. I'm actually surprised by how much we are doing, and then if you consider what other countries from the region and Europe are doing there are plenty of helping and non-helping hands all working quietly to pursue their objectives.

What exactly do you think we need to do at this point?

The program you described is a worthy one, but it will do nothing at all to help those communities when and if an IS battle group shows up. Perhaps something added to the program described that would be viable against that IS battle group would be a good thing. A vital thing actually for when that IS battle group shows up if it can't be defeated all that other stuff means nothing at all and anybody who participated in them may be killed for doing so.

Big boys rules on a grand scale now and that has to acknowledged by the powers that be. Part of big boys rules may be this: tell Assad we are going to work with him, use him, then when IS is gone, whack him. That way we got the two birds that are messing up the garden.