Syria in 2016 (January-March)

[davidbfpo]

Two quite different views, Steven Metz (USA) and Natalie Nougayrde (French), on what may happen now - assuming Aleppo falls to the coalition ostensibly led by Bashir Assad.

Steven starts with:

Whenever it seems that the war in Syria cant get more tragic and dangerous, it does. That conflict has already created the worst humanitarian disaster of a young century and empowered the barbaric self-declared Islamic State. And it could become worse.

Link:http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/a...arder-to-avoid

Natalie starts with:

If Aleppo falls, Syrias vicious war will take a whole new turn, one with far-reaching consequences not just for the region but for Europe too. The latest government assault on the besieged northern Syrian city, which has caused tens of thousands more people to flee in recent days, is also a defining moment for relations between the west and Russia, whose airforce is playing a key role. The defeat of anti-Assad rebels who have partially controlled the city since 2012 would leave nothing on the ground in Syria but Assads regime and Islamic State. And all hope of a negotiated settlement involving the Syrian opposition will vanish. This has been a longstanding Russian objective it was at the heart of Moscows decision to intervene militarily four months ago.

Link:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/05/aleppo-europe-vladimir-putin-russian-military?