Steve Coll Discusses “The Syrian Problem”

Steve Coll, writing in The New Yorker, discusses the complexities associated with current U.S. policy towards Syria, in light of the recent uprisings.  Coll begins by noting that while many had hoped that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be a reformer when he came to power, his actions over the years have proven otherwise and states that “American policy toward Syria presents mainly a record of failure.”  U.S. pressure and covert programs to support democratic campaigners have largely yielded no results, but rather endangered some of the people it was designed to help.  Coll notes  that unlike protest movements in other parts of the region, “Syria’s streets have so far proved less overpowering” due to the religious and ethnic divides which have left many fearful of what regime collapse could lead to.  However, he states, that the protest movement should not yet be discounted as online youth activists have kept up the momentum through fresh video posts and photographs , documenting atrocities.

Echoing, President Barack Obama‘s remarks, Coll states that for true peace to take hold in the region, there must be a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  He also calls on the Obama Administration to increase pressure on the Assad regime by calling for his resignation and by using the same mechanisms levied against Libyan leader  Muammar Gadhafi: the United Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court.  ”The time for hopeful bargaining with Assad has passed.”

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