The Free Syrian Army, caught between the al-Assad air forces and the Islamic State group's territorial expansion, will benefit directly from an air campaign that is simultaneously against ISIS but does not allow any other air military activity.
Former editor Koha Ditore; signatory of Rambouilette Peace Agreement on Kosovo
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
PRISTINA, Kosovo -- As the U.S. builds its coalition and prepares to strike ISIS, it is critical for President Obama to follow his own long-held and oft-stated conviction and spell out the endgame. This is a matter of urgency because the minute the U.S. starts bombing ISIS in Syria, it will become one of the parties of the civil war there.
My experience from the NATO bombing campaign that preceded negotiations and independence for Kosovo in 1998-99 suggest two goals that would define the endgame:
Advertisement
-- First, drawing from the president's own belief in a "no victor/no vanquished" outcome, the U.S. and its allies ought to define as their political goal a situation in which the Syrians, with international mediation and support, find a mutually negotiated end to their civil war, with a mutually shared future of a functioning, democratic and secular state.
ISIS, of course, by disputing the very essence of that goal with its objective of creating a Levantine Caliphate, has excluded itself from those eventual deliberations.
-- Second, the U.S. military intervention in Syria ought to confine itself to restraining and minimizing the territory that is under ISIS control and not take on any larger effort against political Islam.
In order to achieve this military objective, the U.S. and its allies should declare a no-fly zone throughout the territory of Syria where there are ISIS units.
Advertisement
"The Assad regime and its international backers will claim that any U.S. incursion must require the regime's invitation or permission. The U.S. can and should rightly claim that in this civil war, the government has lost its legitimacy."
This, of course, immediately raises the sensitive issues of international legality and legitimacy. The Assad regime and its international backers will claim that any U.S. incursion must require the regime's invitation or permission. The U.S. can and should rightly claim that in this civil war, the government has lost its legitimacy.
If the Islamic State group can be considered a target because of its brutal beheadings, the Syrian regime's trademark barrel bombings of civilians are no less gruesome and thus undermine the regime's claims of sovereign legitimacy.
The Free Syrian Army, caught between the al-Assad air forces and the Islamic State group's territorial expansion, will benefit directly from an air campaign that is simultaneously against ISIS but does not allow any other air military activity.
In this way, the U.S. can bring a new strategic balance on the ground in Syria, forcing both Assad's regime and the moderate opposition to accept that there can be no military victors in this civil war.
Advertisement
"When bombs start falling on ISIS in Syria soon, it would be in everyone's interest to start planning for a future peacekeeping force in Syria."
An international effort, under U.N. auspices, and where the U.S.-led coalition together with Russia and Iran, as the main backers of the Assad regime, can establish a negotiated process that would enable the Assad regime and the Syrian Opposition delegation (representing the SOC, FSA and affiliated forces) to bring an end to the civil war, initiate a transitional process of power sharing with international peacekeeping support and engage in truly democratic state-building, based on the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional nature of the country.
When bombs start falling on ISIS in Syria soon, it would be in everyone's interest to start planning for a future peacekeeping force in Syria under U.N. auspices. Military intervention has a way of speeding up events.
Syria War In September
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.