Can The U.S. Build An Opposition Army In Syria?

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Matt Schiavenza, The Atlantic: Why the U.S. Can't Build an Opposition Army in Syria

An attack on an American-funded military group epitomizes the Obama administration’s logistical and strategic failures in the war-torn country.

Last week, the U.S. finally received some good news in Syria: After months of prevarication, Turkey announced that the American military could launch airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Syria from its base in Incirlik. The development signaled that Turkey, a regional power, had at last agreed to join the fight against ISIS.

The announcement provided a dose of optimism in a conflict that has, in the last four years, killed over 200,000 and displaced millions more. Days later, however, the positive momentum screeched to a halt. Earlier this week, fighters from the al-Nusra Front, an Islamist group aligned with al-Qaeda, reportedly captured the commander of Division 30, a Syrian militia that receives U.S. funding and logistical support, in the countryside north of Aleppo. On Friday, the offensive escalated: Al-Nusra fighters attacked Division 30 headquarters, killing five and capturing others. According to Agence France Presse, the purpose of the attack was to obtain sophisticated weapons provided by the Americans.

WNU Editor: There are many reasons why the U.S. cannot build an effective opposition army in Syria .... the biggest one being limited U.S. public support and a lack of political will in Washington to get involved on a massive scale in another Middle Eastern war.