Wise diplomacy : How will Biden tackle US foreign policy towards Syria?
Turning back the clock to past US policy in Syria - widely seen as a series of failed strategies - will not be an option for Biden team
Syrians hold placards against President Bashar al-Assad during demonstration in Idlib city on 11 September 2020 (AFP/File photo) By Published date: 8 February 2021 20:44 UTC | Last update: 2 months ago
As the tenth anniversary of the Syrian conflict grows near, the question of how the international community should interact with the war-torn nation has come under renewed focus.
While much of President Joe Biden s foreign policy appears to be an extension of US strategy created during his tenure under President Barack Obama, there is little hope of turning back the clock in the case of Syria.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is going nowhere. He withstood the military threat posed by a decade-long war and even as the country faced its worst food and economic crisis over the last few months he has managed to cling to power.
Some in the West had hoped the economic pressure, exacerbated by sanctions, would force his own Alawite community to overthrow him, but the discontent has not culminated in a second uprising.
The lives of Syrians in regime-controlled territory, however, have worsened immeasurably. Queues outside bakeries and fuel stations have become the new normal while a shortage of electricity has adversely affected local businesses and exacerbated unemployment.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
After attack on the U.S. Capitol, some wonder about the state of democracy around the world [Los Angeles Times]
A Capitol besieged by mobs and an American president inciting insurrection was a propaganda gift for U.S. adversaries, but it was yet another troubling moment for democracies navigating the rising perils of a changing world order.
Democracy is not in danger of extinction Congress’ repudiations of Trump’s bid to cling to power underscored the resilience of the U.S. government but the tear gas and rage Wednesday spurred concerns from Berlin to Paris to the capitals of Latin America about what lies ahead in an age when time-tested beliefs and alliances are being challenged and undone.
MEXICO CITY
A Capitol besieged by a mob and an American president inciting insurrection was a propaganda gift for U.S. adversaries, but it was yet another troubling moment for democracies navigating the rising perils of a changing world order.
Democracy is not in danger of extinction Congress’ repudiations of President Trump’s bid to cling to power underscored the resilience of the U.S. government but the tear gas and rage Wednesday spurred concerns in Berlin, Paris and the capitals of Latin America about
what lies ahead in an age when time-tested beliefs and alliances are being challenged and undone.