Anyone remember the “deal\’ President Obama and Secretary of State, John Kerry, made with Syria, through its Russian puppeteers? Click here to remind yourself of just how ridiculous, how naive, how ineffective, how one-sided in favor of Syria and Russia it was.
Well, that “deal” was cut about 7 months ago. So now we can look back and see how things have worked out.
The answer, of course, is that they has not worked out. Not at all. Estimates of the Syrian dead now hover around the 150,000 mark, Lebanon has been crushed by something like 1,000,000 Syrian refugees, and the chemical weapons Syrian President bashar al-assad was supposed to turn over? Not only does he still have them, there are credible reports that he is openly using them.
Things are so bad there, and al-assad is so much stronger, that the Washington Post could not take it any longer. Here are the first two paragraphs of yesterday\’s editorial – and be assured that the rest is every bit as disdainful:
BASHARAL-ASSAD is feeling confident enough to schedulean election six weeks from now that will extend his term aspresident by another seven years. And why not? Three years into thecountry\’s civil war, Syrian government forces continue to makesignificant gains against rebels. This week they are reported to becloseto recapturing the city of Homs, once considered the capital ofthe resistance. The regime has returned to using chemical weaponswith impunity: Halfa dozen attacks involving chlorine gas have been reported byopposition forces since last month. Though Mr. Assad is blockadingthe delivery of humanitarian aid to 4 million civilians in defianceof a U.N. Security Council resolution, there has been no reaction.
Meanwhile,the United States – the one power with the means to end thehorrific crimes against humanity that are paving Mr. Assad\’s roadto “reelection” – no longer even pretends to have a strategy.On March 26, AssistantSecretary of State Anne Patterson responded to questions aboutthe administration\’s policy from the Senate Foreign RelationsCommittee by promising a classified briefing. Secretary of State JohnF. Kerry made the same pledge when senatorsfrom both parties demanded answers on April 8. The briefing hasnot yet been scheduled.
Sad to say, this is a case study for anyone who wonders why the United States has lost so much credibility as a world power during Barack Obama\’s presidency.
And the fact that this editorial, coming over half a year since the “deal” was struck, is such a rarity in mainstream media is a case study in just how far those media are willing to go to cover for this woefully incompetent, inept administration. (Think about it: how many stories on Syria have you come across in print or broadcast media over the past three months?)
Looking at our Syria “deal”, negotiated with Russia, does anyone wonder why vladimir putin did not think twice about expropriating Crimea from The Ukraine? Or of massing his troops at its other borders, presumably so they will be able to move in and take more at a time of his choosing?
The United States used to be respected and feared. Now it is neither. You tell me: is the world safer or less safe for it?
Three more years of Obama. God help us.
