A conspicuous failure of U.S. foreign policy in Syria

[bemildred]

Doyle McManus
Los Angeles Times

In 2011, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, a mild-mannered diplomat named Robert S. Ford, became the face of American support for the Arab Spring when he boldly visited opponents to the brutal regime of Bashar Assad in the northern city of Hama.

In 2014, Ford quit, saying he could not defend the Obama administration's inconstant support for Syrian rebels. “More hesitation … [will] simply hasten the day when American forces have to intervene against Al Qaeda in Syria,” he warned.

Now, a year later, Ford's warning has come true. U.S. warplanes bomb jihadists in Syria week after week. Northern Syria has become a base for both Islamic State, which invaded Iraq last year, and an Al Qaeda franchise that trains European terrorists.

But Ford thinks U.S. policy has moved backward, not forward. “We're seeing Syria divide into four countries,” he told me last week. “and I'm not sure it can be put back together.”

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-mcmanus-syria-20150125-column.html

[truebluegreen]

1. Better to point to the conspicuous failure of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East

since 1954. Chickens, roosting. When you as a nation have proven yourself dishonest, self-interested, anti-democratic and short-sighted, why would you think that your efforts to do anything in the region will work?

[SamKnause]

2. X 1000000000000000000000000000000

[newfie11]

3. Wasn't that the plan

We've created a mess but suspect it was by design (7 countries in 5 years). Of course we're a little behind schedule.

[bemildred]

4. Nah. We don't think that far ahead.

This sort of shit gets driven by domestic politics, and much of the incoherence and incompetence in our foreign policies stems from that. We used to do it from time to time in the 19th century, but it wasn't until after WWII that our political system became addicted to it.

[KoKo]

5. "Project for the New American Century".........

Yep!