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[Piecake]

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, declared Thursday that the Trump administration does not consider it a priority that Syrian President Bashar Assad be removed from power — overtly signaling a U.S. policy shift that observers say quietly began under the Obama administration.

Haley's comments, coupled with a vague statement from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, drew sharp criticism from Republican senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain and are sure to further deflate the hopes of Syrian opposition fighters trying to oust Assad. They also suggest President Donald Trump is still seeking ways to accommodate Russia, which has backed Assad militarily in a conflict estimated to have cost a half-million lives.

"Our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Haley told a small group of journalists, Reuters reported. "Our priority is to really look at how do we get things done, who do we need to work with to really make a difference for the people in Syria."

McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned the administration against making a "Faustian bargain" with Russia. "Syrians can't decide their fate as they're being slaughtered," the Arizona Republican also wrote on Twitter.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/nikki-haley-bassar-al-assad-syria-priority-236710

 

[Randolph Freelander]

If Tillerson and Haley could just step aside so we get our foreign policy straight from Putin's mouth, that would probably be more efficient.

I suppose they have value as his english translators, I guess.

 

[Slime]

Why would they

 

[Fat4all]

thanks for waving a stick in the air, McCain

:/

 

[ultratruman]

Finally some continuity with the previous administration.

 

[metalslimer]

I don't see any way that country ever reaches a peach agreement with him at the helm. He's mass murdered hundreds of thousands of people at this point. How exactly do you return to living under this regime?

 

[Kthulhu]

As much as I hate Assad and how clearly I can see this is an attempt to kiss Putin's ass, I'm okay with this. We suck at rebuilding countries, and we really shouldn't be anyway. I'd much rather us take in as many refugees as possible (I know that won't happen, but still.)

 

[Snwaters]

Not surprising. Does anyone know what the our post Assad strategy was going to be? I don't think there was one, which is why we are where we are.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Feels like there are no good options for the people living there. Pick a murderous tyrant or a murderous death cult to rule over you.

 

[gaugebozo]

"overtly signaling a U.S. policy shift that observers say quietly began under the Obama administration."

Gonna need to see some receipts on this.

 

[Piecake]

Feels like there are no good options for the people living there. Pick a murderous tyrant or a murderous death cult to rule over you.

I think I'd personally go with the tyrant

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Finally some continuity with the previous administration.

Thanks, trump..

 

[King Tubby]

This might be for the best. Anyone who knows about how colossally the Bush administration fucked up the "rebuild" of Iraq doesn't want to see how Trump would handle a rebuild of Syria.

 

[metalslimer]

Feels like there are no good options for the people living there. Pick a murderous tyrant or a murderous death cult to rule over you.

ISIS is on it's last legs in Iraq and will probably follow in Syria at some point.

 

[Ogodei]

To be fair, this was probably going to happen anyway.

Though it doesn't work coming out today of all days.

 

[sant]

The U.S. does not have the resolve or a plan for post Assad Syria

Doesn't take a genius to see that, especially considering there are other conflicts around the globe that are much more important. This isn't 1990 anymore, the U.S. cannot fight two theatre wars at once.

 

[massoluk]

Stop talking and start actually doing something McCain. God how I loathe this man

 

[Sinfamy]

Creating another power vacuum won't help.

 

[mercenar1e]

nothing new here.. Obama wasn't focused on removing him either.

 

[ultratruman]

Not surprising. Does anyone know what the our post Assad strategy was going to be? I don't think there was one, which is why we are where we are.

There was a legitimate political opposition to Assad in the first couple of years. The popular uprising was real. These transitions are never clean, but acting as though there was never hope for a better government to emerge in Syria is beyond cynical.

Obama had the chance to act after it was proven Assad was gassing entire neighbourhoods to death, but he chose to do nothing.

 

[Sunster]

ISIS is on it's last legs in Iraq and will probably follow in Syria at some point.

but i thot they wer at our borderz

 

[Phased]

Being involved with this was never our business anyways. The US intervening in another country has pretty much never worked and has arguably just made things worse whenever we get involved in the long-term.

 

[The Silver]

I'm not gonna pretend like I know what the right move is in that whole clusterfuck.

 

[metalslimer]

Being involved with this was never our business anyways. The US intervening in another country has pretty much never worked and has arguably just made things worse whenever we get involved in the long-term.

I would argue that it's the world's business when a dictator commits mass murder against his own people, but you're right in the US shouldn't unilaterally be involved in these situations.

 

[VendettaRed07]

I'm not gonna pretend like I know what the right move is in that whole clusterfuck.

It was a no fly zone back in 2011

Too late now. Assad pretty much out of people to kill at this point.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

There was a legitimate political opposition to Assad in the first couple of years. The popular uprising was real. These transitions are never clean, but acting as though there was never hope for a better government to emerge in Syria is beyond cynical.

Obama had the chance to act after it was proven Assad was gassing entire neighbourhoods to death, but he chose to do nothing.

This, the west has failed the Syrian people. Makes the hissy fit people are throwing over refugees all the more embarrassing.

 

[sant]

I would argue that it's the world's business when a dictator commits mass murder against his own people, but you're right in the US shouldn't unilaterally be involved in these situations.

The U.S. shouldn't get involved because it can't afford to spend trillions of dollars on a war that does nothing to advance the interests of the nation or the state.

Even the defence contractors themselves will not benefit in the long run. Those trillions could have been used to build more weapons for conventional warfare.

The U.S. can barely afford to replace all the gear it has now.

 

[Boney]

I would argue that it's the world's business when a dictator commits mass murder against his own people, but you're right in the US shouldn't unilaterally be involved in these situations.

which is why the best (part) solution is to have comprehensive refugee programs that are able to locate as most people as possible in safe environments.

But not only that is a tall order that is prone to so many application errors, now we have a nitwit that probably doesn't even know how to wipe his own ass.

 

[WarMacheen]

US is currently focused on removing its own President, so one thing at a time

 

[AcademicSaucer]

This is a good thing

for example I also think Assad should leave for Syria to advance into the future in peace. The main problem is who is going to replace him, if you want to remove him by force you have to rely either in the armed opposition that right now is forcefully converting members of the Druze minority in Idlib, infiltrated by Al Qaeda and fighting among each other, convince the Kurds to do it that right now are more concerned with Turkey and ISIS or attack him yourself meaning going to war with Russia and Iran.

I think is better to first get rid of ISIS and Al Qaeda and negotiate a political solution for Assad in a way that he and his people are removed without destroying the goverment institutions and the services it provides say water, electricity, schools, legal, food, police, universities, roads, infraestructure in general, etc. Otherwise you are gonna need to put the US tax payer money to give those services for 15 - 20 years perhaps until they get oof the ground or you abandon them before everything is ready like in Iraq.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I think it should be pretty obvious at this point after more than 6 years of civil war that Assad isn't going anywhere and that the West is insufficiently willing to commit resources, troops, or atrocities to remove him.

On the other hand the Russians are perfectly willing to commit whatever resources, troops, or atrocities it takes to keep him in power.

No one should be surprised that Assad is still in power.

 

[Coriolanus]

Obama had the chance to act after it was proven Assad was gassing entire neighbourhoods to death, but he chose to do nothing.

Evidence directly linking him only really started to emerge as of late, tho.

If you just want evidence linking the regime, that's a hair older.