A New Realism In U.S. Policy Towards Syria?

Howard LaFranchi, CSM: What's behind US Special Forces in Syria? A new realism

The situation in Syria has changed, so President Obama has decided to include Iran in peace talks and send Special Forces to support Syrian Kurds.

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s foreign-policy realism is on full display this week on two fronts related to Syria.

First, the United States sat down Friday with Iran at international talks on Syria – despite years of opposing any diplomatic role for Tehran in efforts to end the Syrian civil war.

Second, the White House announced Friday that the US will send just under 50 special operations forces to northern Syria – a move that reverses the president’s pledge from more than a year ago not to put boots on the ground in the fight.

WNU Editor: I fail to see how a deployment of 50 U.S. Special Forces advisers will make a difference on the ground in the Syrian war (unless this is the first step for a massive deployment in the future), and I certainly do not see how bringing Iran to the table for peace talks will make them change their position on supporting Syrian President Assad. But what I do see is more bickering in Washington .... Obama’s Syria troop decision widens partisan gulf (Politico), and more claims that this is all too little and too late .... Critics say Obama plan for Syria is ‘too little, too late’ (Boston Herald).

Update: Here is a good review on the Syrian conflict .... Too Weak, Too Strong : Patrick Cockburn on the state of the Syrian war (London Review of Books). Hat tip to jay for this link.