Smart diplomacy: US renews Syrian sanctions
In the end, President Obama had no choice. US President Barack Obama Monday renewed US sanctions on Syria for a year, accusing Damascus of supporting "terrorist" groups and pursuing missile programs and weapons of mass destruction.Haaretz adds:
There had been no expectation that Obama would lift the measures, but the renewal came at an especially sensitive time in often tense US-Syria relations, despite efforts by the administration to return an ambassador to Damascus. The United States has also recently accused Syria and Iran of arming Hezbollah with increasingly sophisticated rockets and missiles, which it says are undermining stability in the region.
"While the Syrian government has made some progress in suppressing networks of foreign fighters bound for Iraq, its actions and policies, including continuing support for terrorist organizations and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," Obama said in a statement.Syria hasn't changed at all as a result of President Obama's 'engagement' policy. This afternoon, I heard a claim on Israel Radio that the reason Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is not responding to President Obama is that he doesn't believe that the current Israeli government is capable of making a deal on the Golan. That's nonsense. I'm not sure at this point that any Israeli government is capable of making a deal on the Golan (it's far more popular than retaining Judea and Samaria), but even given that reality, if Assad could behave himself he could get lots of goodies from an eager Obama. Fortunately, Assad has no interest.
...
But the Obama administration's strategy of engagement has so far produced disappointing results, with Assad this year hosting Iran's virulently anti-American President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a high-profile Damascus summit, alongside leaders of the militant groups Hamas and Hizbollah - both on the State Department's list of terror organizations.
In April tensions soared further following Israeli claims that Syria had supplied Hizbollah militants in Lebanon with advanced Scud missiles capable of inflicting heavy damage on Israel's major cities – an accusation Damascus denies.
"The President took these actions to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted by the actions of the Government of Syria in supporting terrorism, […] pursuing weapons of mass destruction and missile programs, and undermining U.S. and international efforts with respect to the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq," the White House said.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:26 PM
4 Comments:
"Syria hasn't changed at all as a result of President Obama's 'engagement' policy.
Agreed.
However....previous sanctions did not work either. During the time of sanctions Syria continued incubating terror using their "capital city" (the one with a US embassy) as a haven for terrorists. Let us not forget during the years of weak toothless sanctions Syria pulled off a very successful assassination all the while funneling arms from Iran to the arms of Hezbollah...while ties between Syria and Iran only grew stronger. Almost 9 years later, through sanctions, Sryia is much stronger.
US can renew Syrian sanctions til Hell freezes over and in the end Syria laughs because every sanction we hand to them is as toothless as the one before.
Remember, Israel never signed the NPT so in essence they have no nukes. The U.S will run into the same situation with Pakistan and India.
Bottom line,Israel will never give up their nukes no matter what.
The downside is the U.S and all their partners in crime will further move to isolate Israel. So be it.
Obama's manic behavior with Israel and all living in a perfect world coincides with my apt description of Obama being a narcassistic meglomaniac, "one worlder," utopian Antisemite.
I have tried to do some checking into what Bolton had to say about the "handwriting on the wall" during the last four years of the Bush administration. Still looking.
Can't tell me no one smelled a smoldering fire seeing even then the weakest of sanctions against Iran was not working while Iran was inching closer to enriching uranium.
Assad wanted to settle millions of syrian peasants on the Golan, which is impossible, so for now a deal can´t be done. Maybe after the destruction of the Iranian regime Assad might be more compliable.
Baby Assad could care less what Obama wants. And the largely toothless US sanctions haven't deterred him - just they won't deter Iran.
What could go wrong indeed
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