#yallasouriya 1:08 pm on June 22, 2013 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment @jobahout reading of Is Anyone In Charge Of… @jobahout readin of : Is Anyone In Charge Of U.S. Syria Policy? Somebody tell Congress, the Pentagon, and the State Department if so. Congress is demanding action. State reportedly wants airstrikes. The Pentagon is worried about entry and exit strategies. The CIA is already delivering arms to Syrian rebels through Turkey and Jordan. USAID is delivering humanitarian assistance. But at the White House, officials are grappling with how to create a strategy on Syria that is effective and doable — but doesn’t drag the administration into yet another war in the Middle East. what has made the problem worse, say individuals on all sides, is that the Syrian conflict has been unfolding for more than two years as the administration seemed to dig its head in the sand And from a bureaucratic perspective, a lack of an effective structure inside the administration responsible for Syria has contributed to the impression of disarray from inside the government. The quandary in which the White House finds itself played out in the Situation Room last Wednesday. As Bloomberg columnist Jeffrey Goldberg reported, the Secretary of State John Kerry and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Marty Dempsey got into what was described as a heated exchange about the need to use airstrikes to send a real message to Syria’s Assad regime. Kerry wanted them, Dempsey didn’t. with the Pentagon staring at grounded squadrons, docked carriers and even reduced window cleaning at the building, the U.S. military is on record as saying it can’t afford to get into the Syrian conflict in any substantive way. Even many Syrian interventionists understand the Pentagon’s reluctance. The brass has been told, essentially, to worry about Iran in the region and Syria is essentially a sideshow that must end on its own. That doesn’t satisfy Congressional critics who believe the White House has to devise a long-term strategy that gives the Pentagon room to maneuver. But as American allies began clamoring for more assistance for the rebels, and after months of teeth gnashing, the administration has come to view the landscape differently. It signaled last week that it would begin providing direct military aid to Syria, even if it left details vague. And last week the Washington Post reported that the CIA was delivering arms to rebel groups in Syria through bases in Jordan and Turkey. the Pentagon is on board with direct military assistance. Col. Dave Lapan, a spokesman for Dempsey, said this week that despite concerns about the fractious nature of the conflict, the Pentagon has more confidence that it could help. ”However, despite the lack of full clarity, we have indicators that the [Free Syrian Army] is becoming more organized and representative,” Lapan said. “As a result, there is more reason to conclude today that we can provide support to the FSA in a way that is more accountable and consequential.” “I don’t think there is anyone inside the administration that believes that what we’re doing on the military side will create the kind of leverage we need to get Assad at the table,” the Congressional staffer said. “No one believes that.” Gordon Lubold is a national security reporter at Foreign Policy and author of Situation Report. He tweets at @glubold. Share this:
Posted on: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 06:30:42 +0000
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