If the US wants to
take part in solving the bloody Syrian crisis, Washington will have to back
those opposition groups who share Russia's stance on the issue and throw its
support behind the Kurds, Portuguese analyst Bernardo Pires de Lima asserted.
By now hardly anyone doubts that Washington's strategy in Syria
has failed, leaving the US and the West in general with limited room
for maneuver.
In fact, the United States and Europe, according
to the analyst, have the only option with regard to Syria: they
have to support those opposition groups who favor Russian military
engagement and the Kurds even if the former infuriates Saudi Arabia and the
latter enrages Turkey.
Pires de Lima also noted that the West can no longer
throw obstacles in Putin's way. Undermining Russia's campaign
against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups who are trying
to overrun Syria is also not an option. This course of action would
be morally unacceptable for the West.
The analyst added that to varying degrees and
in different capacities Russia, Iran, the Kurds and China have stepped
in to fill the security vacuum in Syria, which was created
by the West. Should they be successful, Moscow will increase its influence
in the Middle East, while Washington's reputation will be tarnished.
In late September, Russia launched a multinational
aerial campaign meant to assist Damascus-led forces in their fight
against extremists from the Islamic State, al-Nusra Front and other
groups, who are trying to overthrow Syria's legitimate leader Bashar
al-Assad.
Moscow's
efforts have so far been hailed as a success in Syria and
in some countries across the Middle East. Some say that Russia has
been able to achieve what the US failed to deliver after a
months-long bombing campaign, which has not been authorized by the Syrian
government.
Source: Sputnik News 19-10-2015
