[*The US missile strikes against a Syrian airfield this week mark a stark shift in American strategy towards Damascus and shows the lack of any coherent foreign policy by the administration of President Donald Trump, according to international relations experts.* The US strikes against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were not just a change in position from the administration of former President Barack Obama, but also indicate a shift from the Trump administration’s public stance in recent weeks. Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that the White House would not try to remove Assad from power. “Just last week, senior officials were talking about coming to terms with Assad and legitimizing Assad,” said Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. “It is concerning that Trump’s approach to Syria and maybe to foreign policy writ large is completely incoherent.”
(Source: 'US attack on Syria shows Trump lacks coherent foreign policy, experts say' at <http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/04/08/517183/US-Trump-foreign-policy-Syria>.) Never mind that the source, "Press TV (stylised PRESSTV) is a 24-hour English language news and documentary network, affiliated with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB)" (see: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_TV>), and hence its presentation of facts and views may, quite legitimately, be considered partisan; nevertheless, ***hardly any rational and informed observer would disagree with the essential point here that confusion is, at least at the moment, a defining marker of Trump's "foreign policy"***, or whatever one may like to call it.] http://presstv.ir/Detail/2017/04/09/517303/Assad-ouster-a-US-priority-Trumps-UN-envoy Regime change in Syria a priority of Trump administration: Haley Sun Apr 9, 2017 4:26AM US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley delivers remarks during a meeting of the UN Security Council concerning the situation in Syria, at UN headquarters, April 7, 2017, in New York City. (Photo by AFP) *The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is one of the priorities of the Trump administration.* The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is one of the priorities of the Trump administration. “There’s not any sort of option where a political solution is going to happen with Assad at the head of the regime,” Haley said in an interview with CNN, which will air in full on Sunday. “If you look at his actions, if you look at the situation, it’s going to be hard to see a government that’s peaceful and stable with Assad,” she stressed. “Regime change is something that we think is going to happen." The ambassador, however, emphasized that defeating the Daesh (ISIL) terror group was still a top policy goal in Syria. The comments represented a departure from what Haley had said before the US military launched a massive missile strike against a Syrian airbase in the early hours of Friday. President Donald Trump said the operation was in response to a suspected chemical attack this week, which Washington has blamed on the Assad government. In this image released by the US Navy, the guided-missile destroyer USS Porter conducts strike operations while in the Mediterranean Sea, April 7, 2017. (Photo by AFP) "You pick and choose your battles and when we're looking at this, it's about changing up priorities and our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Haley had told reporters on March 30. Syria and Russia said the chemical explosion in Idlib, which left more than 80 people dead, was caused by an airstrike on a militant-controlled depot. Read more: Trump lacks clear strategy on Syria, experts say Trump warns of further attacks on Syria The missile strikes on al-Shayrat airfield in Homs showed the lack of any coherent foreign policy by the Trump administration, according to international relations experts. That has also been evident in conflicting statements by administration officials. (L-R) US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense James Mattis (file photo) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took a more measured tone with regard to the Syrian government on Saturday, saying the administration’s first priority was the defeat of Daesh. Once the threat of Daesh was dealt with, “I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria,” Tillerson said in an interview with CBS that will air in full on Sunday. The top diplomat said Washington hopes it can help bring parties together to negotiate a political solution to the conflict. “If we can achieve ceasefires in zones of stabilization in Syria, then I believe – we hope we will have the conditions to begin a useful political process,” Tillerson said. Tillerson is scheduled to arrive in Russia on Tuesday for two days of talks. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow expected "explanations" over the airbase attack. Members of Congress have demanded that the Trump administration develop a broader strategy for Syria and consult with lawmakers on any military action. US reduces airstrikes after missile attack The United States has been conducting airstrikes against purported Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The US-led coalition, which has largely failed to fulfill its declared goal of defeating Daesh, has repeatedly been accused of targeting Syria’s infrastructure and killing civilians. Following the airbase attack, the US has greatly reduced the airstrikes as commanders assess whether the Syrian government or Russia plan to respond, the New York Times reported, citing US officials. The precautionary move was taken as Russia threatened to suspend the communication channel with the US military established to avoid midair incidents in the skies over Syria The Pentagon for now is flying patrol missions over Syria with F-22 jets, officials said on condition of anonymity. They said if the US military can determine that Syria and Russia will not follow their sharp criticism of the missile strikes with military action, it could quickly increase the pace of the air campaign. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
