Via FLC
"... Now that violence in Syria has spiked in recent days, Ford’s limited tenure as the ambassador, which ends at the end of this year unless he is confirmed by Congress, is being placed under even greater scrutiny. On Monday, White House press secretary Jay Carney defended Ford’s presence in Damascus, despite the sparse evidence that a diplomatic corps in Syria has done anything to ease the government’s heavy-handed response to popular dissent. “Yes, it has been useful to have an ambassador there,” Carney said in his briefing, without providing examples. “Having an ambassador to Syria has allowed us to be in Syria, in the presence of the government to make our views known directly.”...
Apart from sanctions, the administration’s options for dealing with Syria are limited. But as it demonstrated by shuttering the Libyan embassy in February, ending diplomatic relations can send a strong signal that the administration is serious when it comes to opposing state-sponsored violence against civilians. However, such a move, coming on the heels of the administration’s failure to secure congressional approval for an ambassador, would deal a significant blow to Obama’s policy of advancing U.S. interests in rogue states by “improving communication” with their governments."
Posted by G, M, Z, or B at 6:17 PM
Uprooted Palestinian
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