Taking advantage of US’ weakness

At a time the American officials were hoping that Russia would help find a political settlement for Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin opted for a different direction.

Moscow’s recent steps in Syria came as a surprise to the international community. Russia dispatched its soldiers to Syria and increased its military assistance to the Syrian regime.

Will the Russian soldiers serve as boots on the ground for the US in its war against Daesh?

Hardly.

The Russian forces are to prop up Syrian President Bashar Assad whose army endured a series of military defeats.

To be sure, US President Barack Obama’s tactical objective in Syria is not different from Putin’s; and that is to keep Assad’s regime intact.

US Gen. Lloyd Austin’s testimony a week ago is a statement on the failure of the American administration to enlist Syrian rebels who would fight Daesh. 

The Americans managed to recruit only a handful of Syrian rebels to do the job. They were asked to sign a document stating that they would only target Daesh and avoid attacking Assad’s troops and those of his allies.

Syrian rebels see Assad’s brutal handling of the Syrian revolution as the main reason for the death of hundreds of thousands and displacement of millions of Syrians. To the rebels, the objective is clear: Get rid of Assad first then fight all radical groups.

Indeed, Assad’s survival is the magnet for all militants who assemble in Syria.

Obama’s strategy and his hesitance during the first two years of the Syrian revolution contributed to the current situation.

Daesh filled in the void when the American administration refused to arm the then-moderate rebels.

Both Hillary Clinton and Robert Ford (a former American ambassador to Syria) were among the critics of Obama’s shortsighted policy on this Arab country.

Key to understanding the failure of the American policy on Syria is the fact that Obama focused much of his attention appeasing Iran so that it would sign a nuclear deal.

In the process, Obama promised to respect Iran’s interests in Syria and, above all, instructed his army to coordinate the military operations in Iraq with the Iranians via the Iraqi government.

Contrary to what the American officials say, there is a de facto alliance between Washington and Tehran in Iraq.

To assure his Arab allies, Obama only paid lip service when it came to ousting Assad from Syria.

It is not as if Putin did not take notice of the US’ empty threats. For this reason, Putin changed his position and course.

It would have been unthinkable for the Russians to start a military build-up of this magnitude were it not for the weak Obama leadership

It seems that Putin does not take Obama’s words seriously anymore.

Obama is still optimistic that the Russians can help the Americans on the ground. Of course, Putin needs to justify his intervention by citing the need to build a front to fight Daesh.

However, Putin is adamant that Assad should remain at the forefront of this proposed coalition. Besides, Putin’s forces are in Syria to protect Assad and to target the rebels rather than Daesh.

Russia may declare a war on Daesh, but its forces in Syria will focus only on fighting alongside embattled Assad.

For a while, Putin has been using the presence of Daesh to sell Assad as an effective partner in the war on terrorism. Like Iran, Russia does not see Assad as a problem.

In brief, Putin is taking advantage of the lack of an effective American policy. He is using the conflict to increase Russian influence in the Levant and collect rent from everyone possible.

For him, everything must go through him or there will be grave consequences.

It is in this context one should read the latest move on Moscow’s part. Also, it should not be forgotten that it is through a combination of US incompetence and hubris that Russia may get away with its grand plan.

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