(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Andrew J. Tabler - Damascus hopes to change the framework of the Geneva 2 talks from arranging a genuine transition to accepting a forced settlement centered on Assad's upcoming "reelection" for a third seven-year term (his current term ends on July 7). The mechanism for channeling the Syrian people's aspirations toward a settlement that ends the war will not be an election under Assad's rule. Washington and its allies must not indulge Assad's fantasy that his phony election process can yield a "political solution." The writer is a senior fellow in the Program on Arab Politics at The Washington Institute.
2014-01-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive