Two weeks ago, when Ankara launched operation Source of peace in Syria, Washington’s decision to urgently withdraw the armed contingent seemed a demonstration of weakness before the Turkish offensive. In practice, this step was much more important.
This is stated in the material of the German “Die Welt”.
According to media reports, the United States actually surrendered to the government of Bashar al-Assad, which had been opposed for so long, and with it Moscow and Tehran. As a result, the author writes, Washington sacrificed the title of “reliable world leader in a democratic society”.
The publication notes that the place here was the successful settlement of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who not only was able to negotiate with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but even solved the problem with the Kurds, who now entered into an alliance with official Damascus. And Washington, having proclaimed a ceasefire, accepted the conditions of Moscow.
At the same time, according to the author, such a shameful failure of Western countries in Syria has long-standing premises. Moreover, they arose even before Donald Trump came to power in the USA. The fact is that the West from the very beginning did not seek to really resolve the armed conflict in Syria, the newspaper acknowledges. Thus, this niche was occupied by Bashar al-Assad and his allies.
The outcome of this situation was the almost complete dependence of the further fate of Syria on the Russian leader, who could influence Damascus, Tehran and Ankara. At the same time, the role of Washington and its allies has been exhausted.