Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Invading Aleppo, Bidding Farewell for Obama | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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People walk on the rubble of damaged buildings after an airstrike in the rebel held area of Aleppo’s Baedeen district, Syria, May 3, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail


This may not be the first time that the Russian plan for Syria is clear. Russians tried to keep up with the American President administration in negotiating long about a crisis, hoping to achieve as much as possible or wasting time until Obama’s presidency is over.

It is evident now that the Russians are trying to keep up with Obama’s administration in meaningless negotiations. When the failed ceasefire collapsed, and Obama started his last period as a president, Russia launched a military attack on Aleppo to support Bashar al-Assad and Iran’s mercenaries. It is clear that they do not want to break Aleppo’s steadfastness, rather they are planning to invade Aleppo, according to what Reuters reported a military official in Assad regime saying.

Therefore, Russia’s plan is now to break the Syrian opposition and gain more in the field. That is why we see Russia participating in bombarding Aleppo and giving Assad air support there.

Russia is doing all that because it realized that, practically, President Obama can no longer do anything now since the elections are just few weeks away. Hence, a transitional phase following the elections, is a chance for the Russians to to maintain achievements in Syria before having to deal with the new U.S. president, whom Obama left for – a very complicated issue in Syria – for him to deal with. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry admitted to that saying that the situation in Syria could worsen, and whoever thinks otherwise is mistaken.

Indeed, the Syrian crisis is at its worst stages now and what is coming is worse in regard of security and refugees and not just the region, but the whole international community.

Russia did what it had done to use Obama’s wishes to ignore the crisis, even if he tried and failed to make things right in the last few weeks, because the U.S. had ignored the true solutions.

The Russians are using the U.N impotency to achieve what they want in Syria.

If you examine the statements made after the humanitarian aid convoy was targeted in Aleppo, you notice that they are just a bunch of contradicting statements that mostly express frustration, especially the one issued by the U.S. administration.

The U.N., and the U.S., are incapable of taking decisions to protect the humanitarian aid convoys and the Syrian civilians and despite the death of over half a million Syrian so far, Russia is supporting Assad in a wide-range attack on Aleppo.

Therefore, the Russian plan is obvious now. They want to use the elections time in U.S. and then Russia and Iran can help Assad in killing more civilians.

One sure thing is that this doesn’t mean it is a Russian victory as much as it means that we have to expect the worst, whether in terrorism or in political and humanitarian repercussions, especially in the refugee crisis.