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OpEdNews Op Eds    H1'ed 10/21/15

Putin Forces Obama to Capitulate on Syria

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Reprinted from Counterpunch

Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin
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The Russian-led military coalition is badly beating Washington's proxies in Syria which is why John Kerry is calling for a "Time Out."

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for an emergency summit later in the week so that leaders from Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Jordan could discuss ways to avoid the "total destruction" of Syria. According to Kerry, "Everybody, including the Russians and the Iranians, have said there is no military solution, so we need to make an effort to find a political solution. This is a human catastrophe that now threatens the integrity of a whole group of countries around the region," Kerry added.

Of course, it was never a "catastrophe" when the terrorists were destroying cities and villages across the country, uprooting half the population and transforming the once-unified and secure nation into an anarchic failed state. It only became a catastrophe when Vladimir Putin synchronized the Russian bombing campaign with allied forces on the ground who started wiping out hundreds of US-backed militants and recapturing critical cities across Western corridor. Now that the Russian airforce is pounding the living daylights out of jihadi ammo dumps, weapons depots and rebel strongholds, and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is tightening their grip on Aleppo, and Hezbollah is inflicting heavy casualties on Jabhat al Nusra militants and other Al Qaida-linked vermin; Kerry's decided it's a catastrophe. Now that the momentum of the war has shifted in favor of Syrian president Bashar al Assad, Kerry wants a "Time out."

Keep in mind, that Putin worked tirelessly throughout the summer months to try to bring the warring parties together (including Assad's political opposition) to see if a deal could be worked out to stabilize Syria and fight ISIS. But Washington wanted no part of any Russian-led coalition. Having exhausted all the possibilities for resolving the conflict through a broader consensus, Putin decided to get directly involved by committing the Russian air force to lead the fight against the Sunni extremists and other anti-government forces that have been tearing the country apart and paving the way for Al Qaida-linked forces to take control of the Capital. Putin's intervention stopped the emergence of a terrorist Caliphate in Damascus. He turned the tide in the four year-long war, and delivered a body-blow to Washington's malign strategy. Now he's going to finish the job.

Putin is not gullible enough to fall for Kerry's stalling tactic. He's going to kill or capture as many of the terrorists as possible and he's not going to let Uncle Sam get in the way.

These terrorists -- over 2,000 of whom are from Chechnya -- pose an existential threat to Russia, as does the US plan to use Islamic extremists to advance their foreign policy objectives. Putin takes the threat seriously. He knows that if Washington's strategy succeeds in Syria, it will be used in Iran and then again in Russia. That's why he's decided to dump tons of money and resources into the project. That's why his Generals have worked out all the details and come up with a rock-solid strategy for annihilating this clatter of juvenile delinquents and for restoring Syria's sovereign borders. And that's why he's not going to be waved-away by the likes of mealy-mouth John Kerry. Putin is going to see this thing through to the bitter end. He's not going to stop for anyone or anything. Winning in Syria is a matter of national security, Russia's national security.

Here's Kerry again: "If Russia is there to help Assad find a way to a political solution as well as to fight Daesh (ISIS) and extremism, then there is the possibility of a very different path."

Putin has offered solutions from the very onset; it was Washington that rejected those remedies. Putin supported the so called Geneva communique dating back to 2012. In fact, it was then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who threw a wrench in the proceedings by demanding that Assad not be part of any transitional governing body. (Note: Now Obama has caved on this demand.) Russia saw her demand as tantamount to regime change, which it was since Assad is the internationally-recognized head of state and fully entitled to be a part of any transitional government. US rejectionism sabotaged efforts for internationally-monitored "free and fair multi-party elections" and ended any chance for a speedy end to the war. Washington was more determined to get its own way ("Assad must go") than to save the lives of tens of thousands of civilians who have died since Clinton walked away from Geneva.

And now Kerry is extending the olive branch? Now Washington pretends to care about the "total destruction" of Syria?

I'm not buying it. What Kerry cares about is his hoodlum "head-chopper" buddies that are being turned into shredded wheat by Russian Daisy Cutters. That's what he cares about. Take a look at this from RT:

"'Syrian President Bashar Assad ...does not have to leave tomorrow or the next day,' the US State Department (spokesman Mark Toner) has stated. Washington allows that Assad may take part in transitional process, but can't be part of Syria's next government...

"...'this isn't the US dictating this. This is the feeling of many governments around the world, and frankly, the majority of the Syrian people,' Toner said.

"When asked to clarify 'how long' the State Department thinks the transition process could take, Toner failed to give an exact time period.

"'I can't put a timeframe on it. I can't say two weeks, two months, six months,' he said, adding that the US is looking for 'a political resolution to the conflict....'

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Mike is a freelance writer living in Washington state.

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