The Syrian Conundrum

The Syrian Conundrum

At his Aug. 20, 2012, news conference, president Obama declared that the use of chemical weapons in Syria would be an American “red line” that if crossed, would draw “consequences”

On August 30, Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed that Assad’s troops, under the command of his brother Maher, have recently killed over 1,400 Syrian civilians with weaponised Sarin nerve gas. There is also evidence that on August 29, Napalm was fired by Assad’s forces into a schoolyard causing several deaths and numerous horrific injuries, mainly to children. All the casualties in both attacks were Sunni Muslims.

Since there is no question that the president’s “red line” has been trampled by Assad, everyone in the Middle East is waiting to see what the promised “consequences” will be.

And that’s there’s conundrum:
• Bombing the chemical weapon stockpiles, which are located in or near highly populated areas, is not a viable option. 
• Launching a robust military operation against Assad and his forces will be seen, on the one hand, as a clear message that American “red lines” are serious (attention Iran!). On the other hand it will be perceived as US support of the rebel groups, some of whom are anti-American jihadists, or directly affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
• Doing nothing, or just a mild slap-on-the-wrist, will be seen as US support for Iran’s puppets Assad and Hezbollah, not to mention the shredding of the last remnants of American prestige and credibility in the Middle East.

But is there another option? Actually…yes:  In my opinion the swift removal, either by capture and trial, or “extreme prejudice” measures, of Basher al-Assad and his brother Maher, would eventually create an environment for a negotiated settlement to partition Syria into four autonomous states: Sunni, Alawite/Christian, Kurd and Druze. 

US Special Forces are more than capable of executing this type of surgical military operation. 

And most important - it would send a clear message to Iran about the seriousness of American “red lines”.

Agree or disagree – that’s my opinion.