'A Coalition of the
Unfitting!'
[Al
Monitor] "... The shelling across the
Turkish-Syrian border, now entering its seventh day, gives further testimony, as
if any were needed, that Turkey’s Syria policies have failed ... and
Ankara may be desperate to end it. A clear majority of Turkish citizens oppose
intervention in Syria, according to a recent poll. Just two years ago, Turkey
prospered under a “good neighbor” policy with Syria, Iran and Iraq. Now Turkey
has problems along all three borders.
Any clear-eyed assessment of the
battlefield does not foresee President Bashar al-Assad stepping down or being
forced to step down anytime soon. Assad is committed to staying in place until
constitutionally mandated elections in 2014, and he has not yet decided whether
he will run in those elections. Russia and Iran have no interest in letting his
regime fall.
There is a growing realization in Turkey and the region that
a cavalry for the Syrian rebels from the United States or the Gulf countries
will not be forthcoming. The aid they receive may be just enough for them to
keep fighting and hold some of the territory they control, but no more.
Even
with more robust US support for the rebels, including direct arms supplies,
no-fly zones, and human corridors, it's unclear if the outcome would be other
than to prolong the violence that has already killed at least 18,000 people,
according to the United Nations. These hawkish half-measures speak to what used
to be called mission creep and would be unlikely to
tilt the balance.
A full scale US-led NATO assault on Damascus,
another alternative, does not appear in the cards... .....
Prime Minister
Erdogan’s government, on the front lines, seems now to realize the futility of
its current policies. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said this week that
Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa would be a suitable transitional
figure.... Davutoglu’s naming Sharaa as a transitional figure, jumping over
several steps of the transitional plan in the final communique of the "Action
Group for Syria" agreed in June, reflects Turkey’s
crisis and its desperation.
The comments by Gul and Davutgolu
might also, however, signal a renewed commitment to a regional diplomatic
effort. If so, this is to the good.
The most hopeful, least reported news
for Syria is that after a slow start, Lakhdar Brahimi, the joint special
representative for Syria for both the United Nations and the League of Arab
States, may have some momentum.
Brahimi has the support not only of the UN
and The Arab League, but of Iran and Turkey. Iran is also undertaking its own
diplomatic effort following the summit of Non-Aligned Nations in August; Egypt
and Iraq are all floating regional diplomatic initiatives; and even Saudi
Arabia, though hesitant, has signaled a willingness to engage. Syrian Foreign
Minister Waleed Moallem, on Sept. 28, endorsed the Iraqi and Brahimi
initiatives.
The US can best use its leverage by encouraging the full support
of Iran, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia for Brahimi’s efforts to implement the
Action Group transition plan agreed in June. ... On the other hand, incremental
support for the opposition and the false expectations of a quick and decisive
end to the Assad regime, will only prolong the war, increase the number
refugees, intensify the border conflict between Syria and Turkey, and perhaps,
over time, draw in Syria’s other neighbors as well.
The “worst-case
scenario” described by President Gul could actually get
worse."
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