RNA - While Syria invited Iranian and Russian forces into the country to help with the war on terror, along with the Lebanese Hezbollah, these other nations all sent troops unilaterally and illegally, and all did so with an eye toward backing Qaeda-allied rebel factions and ISIL.
Nevertheless, the US intends to keep its occupying troops in Syria permanently. According to the Pentagon regime’s spokesman, Eric Pahon, the US intends, as a matter of policy, “to keep ground troops in Syria as long as necessary,” irrespective of the fact that ISIL, the terrorist group they were apparently deployed to fight, has almost no territory left in the country.
Pahon says US troops are going to stay to “support our partners and prevent the return of terrorist groups,” both goals which, one must note, are absolutely open-ended and illegal, and unlikely to ever be declared “accomplished” - just like elsewhere throughout the Middle East.
Instead of making it lawful, however, US officials are playing up the idea that a “new ISIL” could emerge at any moment, and the US wants to have troops deployed in such areas just in case. Moreover, “support for our partners” actually means support for terror proxy forces such as Qaeda-allied rebel groups in Idlib.
The argument is this: Because of the anti-partition allied forces, the terrorist group of ISIL is no longer able to emerge at any moment. Much of the Trump administration seems to have remained in the dark on this, though. There, it seems, they sat out defeat and emerged strangely untouched – but with a still untarnished dream of American triumphalism. And that is what the world community never wanted - and many, against all odds, still don’t want - to hear.
So no matter how well debated, the world community is no longer willing to allow war-party Washington and allies to put on a new show in Syria. The new pro-war show by the Pentagon regime cannot and will not be able to draw a big enough audience, much less international support for Washington’s half-way measures and permanent occupation.
According to Fars News Agency, at the present time, the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia and their allies are forced to reckon with the hard reality that Bashar al-Assad will continue to be Syria’s elected president. Their regime-change campaign, partly due to the support of allies, and partly due to President Assad’s tactics, is now a dead letter. The Trump administration has no choice but to figure out a policy that addresses these realities. Whatever that policy turns out to be, Syria will no longer be a fractured, broken, chaotic and violent country. Foreign Minister Muallem says his country doesn’t welcome the US-led occupiers either.
More still, if the aim of the war was the destruction of the Syrian government, then President Assad has absolutely ensured his survival and in this respect he has prevailed. He has won the war, in the sense that he has not been defeated by the initial ISIL takeover or subsequent fighting against US proxies.
Indeed, there is no real chance to return to the pre-2011 status quo, as the Iranians and Russians are not interested in reconstituting Syria but rather seem to be eyeing a long political process with a certain conclusion. In the interim, military jockeying will continue in Syria, especially as the fight against the remnants of ISIL and other terrorist groups nears its “victory”, according to Foreign Minister Muallem.
Even Israel’s defense minister has acknowledged that the Syrian government is winning the war. Avigdor Lieberman’s comments mark a reversal of fortune for Tel Aviv, which had from the outset of fighting in 2011 until mid-2015 regularly predicted President Assad would lose control of his country and be toppled. In his words, “I see a long international queue lining up to woo Assad, include Western nations, including moderate Sunnis. Suddenly everyone wants to get close to Assad. This is unprecedented. Because Assad is winning, everyone is standing in line.”
Put differently, the key determinant in shaping the country will never be Washington’s position after “the final victory” against ISIL and al-Qaeda. That President Assad will play an integral role is now widely accepted by the international community in post-war Syria, a realization that could facilitate a political solution to formally end the fighting too. Then there is the issue of reconstructing the country, with Iran, Russia and China reportedly in line for massive contracts. There will be nationwide reconciliation efforts too, as people want to get on with their lives - away from US-led occupation, mayhem and terror.
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