The primary support for Syria comes from Iran. Period. This is no secret. In response to criticism over the failure of Obama to support the Iranian “green movement” uprising President Obama specifically said in 2009 he wanted to extend his unclenched fist to Iran and work on better relations. To prove his point Obama watched Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shoot his opposition in the street and stood silent. At the same time Hillary Clinton called Syria’s Bashar Assad a “moderate” and a “reformer”.
However, now that attacking Iran’s nuclear ambition -to improve his “gutsy caller” image- becomes a process of Obama’s re-election strategy, you can expect a complete change in tone and approach to Assad. It’s less about Syria, and much less aboout Assad or his brutal dictatorship, and more about Obama re-election optics.
(Foreign Policy) As the violence in Syria spirals out of control, top officials in President Barack Obama‘s administration are quietly preparing options for how to assist the Syrian opposition, including gaming out the unlikely option of setting up a no-fly zone in Syria and preparing for another major diplomatic initiative.
Critics on Capitol Hill accuse the Obama administration of being slow to react to the quickening deterioration of the security situation in Syria, where over 5,000 have died, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Many lawmakers say the White House is once again “leading from behind,” while the Turks, the French, and the Arab League — which sent an observer mission to Syria this week – take the initiative to pursue more aggressive strategies for pressuring the Assad regime. But U.S. officials said that they are moving cautiously in order to avoid destabilizing Syria further, and to make sure they know as much as possible about the country’s complex dynamics before getting more involved. (more…)
