Escalating Syrian Civil War a Lose-Lose for US

Key US Allies Face Destabilization as War Spreads

A temporary ceasefire of sorts is in place in Syria, but the general trend of the civil war in the nation is toward escalation, sectarian violence and spillover into neighboring countries.

It was a war the Obama Administration seemed to be itching for, egging on the various rebel factions from the beginning. Now, as it escalates, the situation seems to be dramatically deleterious for US interests in the region.

Rebel defectors from Syria’s military are one thing, but increasingly the rebellion is filled with al-Qaeda-styled Islamists, which are getting stronger and better armed all the time. Fighting has spread into Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, threatening to destabilize US allies.

The spillover is now threatening the whole region, with the US-backed goal of “safe zones” for the rebels in northern Syria threatening to turn into safe-havens for terrorists, and a regime change that the administration was once salivating over now threatens to turn Syria into a Salafist theocracy.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.