Sam Heller, VICE News: The Battle for Aleppo Shows That US Strategy in Syria Is in Tatters
The countryside north of Aleppo, Syria's largest city, is the latest crucial battlefield in the Syrian civil war — and it could also become the place where the United States' strategy to combat the so-called Islamic State in Syria falls apart.
The US-led coalition had been backing Aleppo rebels who were trying to capture the last stretch of border with Turkey controlled by the Islamic State, but those rebels were left stranded after a new offensive by Syrian regime forces earlier this month cut them off from other rebel areas. Now the Kurdish forces that have been the United States' closest allies in the fight against the Islamic State have seized the opportunity to attack these US-backed rebels, in an attempt to seize what's left of the territory they control in north Aleppo.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- February 17, 2016
The War of Western Failures: Hopes for Syria Fall with Aleppo -- Spiegel Online
Could a no-fly zone established in Syria protect its threatened civilians? -- Ben Thompson, CSM
RUSSIA: Ruthless and Sober in Syria -- Reva Bhalla, Stratfor
South China Sea Missile Deployment Entrenches U.S., Chinese Positions -- Chun Han Wong, WSJ
Why did China deploy missiles in the South China Sea? -- Christina Beck, CSM
Analysis: China's missile deployment ups the ante for the U.S. and allies -- Oren Dorell, USA TODAY
China's Empty Malls Get Weirder -- Adam Mintner, Bloomberg
Narendra Modi and the fine art of screwing up -- Devjyot Ghoshal, Quartz
The Guardian view on Ukraine’s crisis: take the long view -- Guardian editorial
The new Cold War in the Mediterranean -- John W. Miller and Frederick W. Kagan, FOX News
Paris Survivors: Healing the Scars of Bataclan -- Julia Amalia Heyer and Petra Truckendanner, Spiegel Online
Military Tells Congress It Can't Send Gitmo Detainees to U.S. -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg
Apple phone ruling reignites privacy vs law enforcement debate -- Jim Finkle and Dan Levine, Reuters
The great dumbing-down of US foreign policy -- Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe
Whither the New World Order? -- Ali Wyne, War On The Rocks
6 comments:
It's unfortunate that the Kurds are attacking the US backed rebels and not ISIS. However, the so called cease fire is possibly coming soon and the expectation is that the more you hold the more bargaining position you will have at the negotiation table. The Rebels have been battered by months of Russian air backing Syrian Army advances, so they are the weakest on the battle field. The US lacks much influence with the Kurds in Syria because the US has provided limited if any support to them as their NATO ally Turkey doesn't want weapons provided to the Kurds today to be used against them tomorrow.
The Syria Arab government would ordinarily be against the Kurds, but under these conditions the Kurds could provide a "safe zone" buffer area against Turkey and the U.S., and their support for Islamic radicals who want to overthrow the Syria government, an objective not shared by the Kurds.
The Syrian Government gave the YPG local autonomy in 2008, gave the Harbin Kurds citizenship in 2011, gave YPG areas defacto full autonomy in 2012, and has via the SAA enclaves in or bordering the YPG enclaves, been supplying the YPG with arms, ammo, fuel, medicine, food and generators.
While the YPG is torn between full independence, or almost complete autonomy within Syria, the Syrian Government doesn't care either way.
An Independent Royjova would only be recognized by Russia, Syria and possibly Iran, and Turkey and Iraq would complrtely seal the borders with Royjova.
The YPG and the SAF are fighting against the alliance of the Syrian Turkomen Army, ( which is mostly Turks and other foreign jihadis's), al Nusra, ( al Quida before the name change), Ansar al Sham, ( more Jihadi headchoppers) and remnants of the FSA Unicorn jihadi's,
To link the two YPG enclaves, close the border with Turkey to ISIS arms, reinforcements and oil, and form the north side of the Azaz kettle, allowing the northern group of ISIS fighters to be surronded and destroyed by the YPG in alliance with the SAA.
For most of the people who have been following along, that the remnants of the FSA would join up with alQuida, rather than sign local ceasefires with the SAA, or join up with either the SAA or the YPG, is no surprise.
Both the DIA and the CIA internal reports in 2012, noted that most of the FSA "Unicorns" were really Islamic Jihadi headchoppers just pretending to be "moderate" for the money, weapons and training.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-conflict-damascus-remains-a-war-zone-but-some-families-are-returning-a6877736.html
"Zacharia Ashar – his brown robe marks him out as a country man, for al-Qadam not long ago was farmland – is also on the local “reconciliation committee” and says that 131 local militiamen who fought the army have returned, some from Jordan, on the understanding that they will protect their people and keep Isis at bay.
“Some of them have formed a unit to support the army,” he says. “Others tried to fight Nusra and Daesh [Isis] and were killed. Yes, there have been many martyrs.”
Something needs to be clarified.
The narrative that the Russians and Syrians are attempting to seize more territory in order to be in a better negotiating position is misleading. While they may wish to convince the headchoppers and their sponsors to pack it in due to losses of territory and manpower, there is no desire to negotiate Syria's territorial integrity as has been oft repeated in media and "official" circles.
Talk of "partition" or "new borders" for Syria (Kurds notwithstanding) is another bit of bloviation in the same spirit as "Assad must go", "no fly" and "safe" zones. The President of Syria firmly stated not two days ago that Syria, sovereign within her borders, is the goal. Russia and Iran have pledged numerous times to back the legitimate government of Syria in its fight for security and integrity.
No matter how much Jim Crow "officials" want to conspire toward, and mendaciously infer, some quid pro quo discussion about a division of Syria, the facts on the ground display their disconnect from reality.
The victory to be won is nothing less than Syria, whole, secular, and sovereign. The defeat of those who conspired to destroy her will shake the foundations of the Jim Crow world order. It's zero sum.
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