Assad under Russian Iranian custody

Who will take the responsibility of recording the “achievements” of Assad in Syria since the day he grasped on to his office and promised reforms, changes and modernization? How will the novel of the paid historian be, the one who will write how Assad killed thousands of his own people, mostly women and children, how he forcibly displaced more than 4 million Syrians, besieged cities and left its residents to starve to death? How will this paid historian explain that his boss’ policies were aimed at combating “terrorism” in a country who he personally handed over to both the Russian and Iranian armies?

The true witness to the legacy of Assad and his allies will be the Syrian people and the Diaspora humanitarian disasters that the world is witnessing from displacement and drowning at sea in an attempt to escape Russian air strikes and Assad’s missiles.

It is true that Assad is currently regaining territories that he had lost control over when his warplanes were flying alone. But under what circumstances did he regain them? Perhaps so his power could remain under the authority of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. Obama’s disastrous policy towards Syria – which Roger Cohen commentator newspaper in New York Times described as “America’s flawed policy in Syria” – handed Syria over to Putin because Obama is more interested in making a deal with Russia than what is happening in Syria. While John Kerry, known for his optimistically naïve characteristic, believes that everything will be solved if everyone is persuaded to sit down at the negotiating table, despite the erupting flames on ground.

It is true that Russia and Iran managed to keep Assad, but what is his future? For he is not even in control of his own area, since his survival is linked with his Russian and Iranian bosses, perhaps Russian more since they are the stronger entity in the equation. 

The crisis of the Syrian people flooded Europe through the influx of refugees. The Europeans are angry at the US for not caring about this huge crisis which is threatening the bloc and will effect America sooner or later. 

Putin persuaded Obama in 2013 that they would move together to prevent Assad from using chemical weapons and not to bomb Assad’s forces’ positions. In return, Putin tricked Obama when he intervened with his air force in Syria to maintain Assad’s power and use it as a bargaining power in dealing with the Europeans and Americans.

Despite the economic difficulties in Russia, Putin believes that – thanks to Obama’s retreat – he was able to return his hegemony in the Middle East indefinitely until a new US president is elected who cares more about the deteriorating prestige of his country, which makes the observer wonder: Which president is worse, George Bush or Obama? And will the US’ successive disastrous administrations continue with the arrival of Donald Trump or Ted Cruz to the presidency? Maybe we have not seen the worst yet.

Randa Taqi Eddin in Al-Hayat.