Traditionally, the US is portrayed to be the enemy. It was never thought or presented to be a friend of Syria or its people. Michael Ratney, the US envoy in the ISSG, has recently advised members of the Syrian opposition coalition to see the Russians. The Syrian file is in their hands, he says. Had the man advised the coalition to see Israel−Syria’s sworn enemy−it would have been probably easier and more practical.
It is true that the US has distanced itself from the Syrian saga and threw the bloody profile into the Russian hands, Ratney’s advice is in no way indicative of non-involvement; it is reflective of a behavior of an accomplice whose intention is further humiliation, discrediting and fragmentation of an already fragile Syrian opposition. No wonder why the Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov’s move to select a self-centered, controversial member of the opposition to meet in Doha with complete disregard of the main stream Syrian opposition negotiating group.
The Ratney move and that of Bogdanov’s seem to have been coordinated. Had such US-Russian coordination remained at the diplomatic level, things would have been tolerated by Syrians, but for it to be at such a sophisticated devastating bloody level is something that no one could ever tolerate.
The two sides have all along projected apparently differences in views and attitudes towards the Syrian issue. The only issue they did together was successfully removing the Assad chemical arsenal, with Syrians not yet realizing how costly that deal was.
It is true that Putin has ambitions and apparently hard feelings towards the west−in particular the US−considering them to be behind the fall of the Soviet empire; however, approaching new world events and development in the light and perspective of a cold-war mentality would not be helpful in understanding post cold war world affairs. When the US perceives and explicitly says that Russia is a regional big power, it is not kidding. Russia today for the US is less than a partner and larger than a functionary contractor. Other than in the media, Russia’s mischievous behavior in the Ukraine is not a big issue for the US. Ukraine remains a European issue. The Syrian issue on the other hand−due to the Israeli factor solely−should be handled again solely as the US wants. Some say that if Russia did not use the veto, the US−with blunt embarrassment, would have used it when Assad used chemical weapons against his people. Russia saved America’s face and carried the shame as a good functionary “partner.”
The Russian signing of the defense agreement with Assad, the full gear military intervention in Syria, the devastating bombardment of Syrian cities, the use of gas bombardment, the coordination with Iran, and the mingling into and the humiliation of the Syrian opposition by Russia would not be taking place if they did not have the consent of this US administration.
It is in this context the Ratney and Bogdanov’s moves could be understood. It is as such this Russian behavior towards the Syrian nephews can be understood. Neither Obama, nor the American political machine are stupid or malfunctioned to turn a blind eye to a highly sensitive geopolitical spot on the world map. Trusting the Syrian file into the hands of Putin is a deliberate American move that got the blessings of Israel and its lobbies.
So far, Putin has carried out the mission but with a great deal of devastation and irremediable consequences. Putin, with the US help, has neutralized the impact of regional and European powers on the Syrian issue. Turkey was his last chapter. Despite all that, Putin will definitely fail. He can fragment Syria; he can kill more people; he got an international and Israeli cover; he can lie and brag the way he likes; but he is destined to fail dramatically. You cannot get rid of 22.999.000 Syrians and keep a regime that has killed its people as such, even if the US and Israel openly got in.
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