The US Administration is now prepared to accept Syria's President Bashar al-Assad’s continued rule until Syria’s next scheduled Presidential election, in 2021, according to U.S. and European officials. The decision reverses repeated U.S. statements that Assad must step down as part of a peace process.
Washington's decision reflects the "Administration’s limited options, the military reality on the ground, and the success of Syria’s Russian, Iranian, and Hezbollah allies in propping up the beleaguered Assad regime," the New Yorker writes.
Despite the fact that since 2014, the United States has spent more than $14 billion in its air campaign, "facts on the ground have led the Administration to accept that Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for almost a half century, may be around for as much as four more years".
Syria now controls the majority of territory—including cities such as Damascus, Hama, Homs, Latakia, and Aleppo. The article says that the Syrian opposition groups backed by the United States have been ineffectual. They have squabbled among themselves and split into factions. "Their demand that Assad step down as a precondition to peace or a political transition has become increasingly unrealistic," the article says.
According o the author, diplomatically, the US has been marginalized by the "powerful troika of Russia, Iran, and Turkey, which now dominates the peace process.
The head of the political research of the Center for Modern Turkish Studies, Yuri Mavashev, speaking with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that although there was no official statement by US President Donald Trump on this issue, but the fact of having such rumors speaks for itself. "This means that relevant sources understand that in this situation the administration of the US president will rely on the future of Syria and refuse to support the armed opposition. And if it continues to support it, then to a larger extent in order to save face. Apparently, they will try to influence the situation in Syria somehow by giving money to the opposition," the expert explained.
According to Mavashev, one can speak about a certain recognition by the US administration of the fact that Russia achieved results in Syria that cannot be ignored. "The facts show that, thanks to the positive impact of Russia's Aero-Cosmic Forces, the creation of humanitarian corridors, the Astana agreements, the normalization of the status of those who laid down their arms, a unique positive result was achieved," he noted.
"This was an unprecedented operation, and I think that deep down the Americans at heart know it. We has not only achieve the end of the anti-terrorist struggle in Syria, but also strengthen our ties with Turkey and Iran. Not to mention the opportunity to try our new armament," the head of the political research of the Center for Modern Turkish Studies said.
As the expert explained, from the point of view of the situation in the Middle East, the main thing is that Russia managed to strengthen its positions in this region. "Especially after Donald Trump's statement, after all, it turns out that Washington made a number of stupid things, which once again confirmed that Russia stands up for sovereign states and the will of the people, while the US in this situation doesn't know what it's walking into, moreover - virtually supporting terrorism," he pointed out.
