With the Assad government in Syria cementing increasingly secure in control over much of the country, the US had quieted down for months on demands for Assad’s ouster, instead shifting to blaming Iran and Russia for Assad’s survival.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, however, now says that with Geneva talks coming up in late November, Assad has to be removed from power, and that the only way to end the Syrian war is for the world to accept a “whole and unified Syria with no role for Bashar al-Assad.”
Exactly how the US intends to see that as the end result is unclear, as while there are some nations that have backed the US calls for regime change, the non-jihadist rebel groups are virtually wiped out at this point, and such groups have no chance of seizing the country by force.
The Russian government has long insisted that the future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people, and while the US nominally endorsed that idea at one point, it appears that Syria only gets to decide among US-approved options.
Hopefully this is just rhetoric. Would Trump want to confront Russia in a war that is already lost?
It’s not like neocons ever give up.
Trump would leave that up to “his” generals.
Tillerson is on a roll telling Iraqi’s that their militias are unacceptable then the legitimate government of Syria needs to change leadership.
It’s been a busy week he must feel encouraged by the new Iran policy being concocted for implementation by AIPAC.
I kinda think the US government has lost its credentials to speak regarding Syria’s future or its leadership. That future will be decided by Syria, Iran, and Russia- not the US, not Israel. We lost our Syria card a long time ago when we started playing both sides against ourselves.
What??
Tillerson is Nikki Haley-nutz. There can be no whole & unified Syria without Assad. What USA wants is a fractured & factionalized Syria and President Assad dead or exiled.
Which, of course, is the same thing Israel wants. We’re just following the leader.
It is apparent Tillerson has not and does not intend to consult Russia on whether Assad has a role to play in Syria’s future. Is it a case of arrogance or stupidity? Both?
Is it “meddling” in another country?
Only when anyone else meddles in the US. When Uncle Scam screws with others its A-OK,
Good god almighty! Would this clown please shut the hell up! Every time it has been shown again and again that the US and its proxy “terrorists” have murdered innocents and they have the temerity to keep saying Assad has no part to play in HIS COUNTRY.
Here’s a radical idea for the USG: Let the Syrian Gov’t run Syria. Removing Saddam in Iraq and Gadaffi in Libya hasn’t exactly turned out great.
Interesting that Tillerson is now on the same page with HC re Syria. Guess the same folks are in charge no matter whom “we” elect.
“Interesting, indeed”!
And here I thought Tillerson was one, if not the only, adult in the room when Trump’s clown show meets.
The clowns are the entrenched Deep State people who would agree with Tillerson, For example, Corker, McCain, Sasse, Graham, Kasich, Bush, Bonkers, etc.
The Syrian people are the ones who should decide through an election who their leaders are. That is the Russian position. Syrians have chosen Assad (an Alawite) twice and will likely do so again. Assad and his highly intelligent English wife, Asma (a Sunni) are the best persons to restart the reform program which the USG and its allies stopped by arming terrorists to oust them.
The reform of Syria is horrifying to the Netanyahu regime. Netanyahu, like many past Israeli leaders, has been claiming for years that Israel is the only stable democracy in the mideast. An stable ARAB democracy, whose land Israel is squatting on for Gallilee’s water, is something Netanyahu cannot bear. Bibi wants a thug like Mubarak to govern Syria so that it can keep the Golan and still claim that Israel is the only….etc. Netanyahu would do ANYTHING to stop Assad – support ISIS and, yes, use CWs on Syrian children and get it blamed on Assad.
Assad was elected president of Syria . His father was the King of Syria So where does Tillerson come up with the idea Assad should go and the United States has to pick a leader ?The United States tried for 5 0r 6 years to do to Syria what they did to Iraq and Libya and appoint a bad leader for Syria too .
What about a whole and unified USA with no role for Trump, Pence, HClinton, any of the present senators and “reps”, the present Supreme Court, most of the judges, all of the CEOs of banks and big corporations………
Let’s try for a few honest human beings, if some can be found.
It is far more likely that the US can have no role in the future of Syria. Assad won, and the US lost.
Mr. Tillerson, do us all a huge favor, STFU; Syria’s a sovereign nation and Bashar Assad’s its duly elected leader (elected twice). You have NO right to state that President Assad can have no role in Syria’s future. Only the Syrian people themselves have that right; you and your greedy, warmongering handlers don’t.
As Joao Alfaiate said, “Here’s a radical idea for the USG; let the Syrian gov’t. run Syria; removing Saddam in Iraq and Gadaffi in Libya hasn’t exactly turned out great.
Interesting that Tillerson’s now on the same page with HC re Syria. Guess the same folks are in charge no matter whom ‘we’ elect.”
That seems clear. We aren’t for regime change in Syria. As long as there’s regime change in Syria. At least Rex got the President Moron part right.
Oh the comedy of the Zionist menace, and its lapdogs like Tillerson. Israel is slowly being marginalized because it has been a vile terrorist state since 1947, and the world is tired of them. Assad is going nowhere, and Uncle Sam is nothing more than a confused, and arrogant paper tiger!
Assad and Putin are the two most maligned leaders in the world. That makes them look good to me.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me first. If the world loves you it is because you are of the world.” —Jesus