by Boaz Bismuth
Since Obama reiterated on Monday that the U.S. cannot solve global problems by itself, perhaps he should have added how wonderful it is to have Russia and Iran to help him.
The situation in the
Middle East is very complicated these days, particularly when it comes
to the ongoing strife in Syria. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir
Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani both gave speeches at the
U.N. General Assembly in New York that in normal times could have been
dismissed as amusing. But in the era of Islamic State, everyone is
suddenly trying to appear to be righteous, including Putin and Rouhani.
Putin, for example,
believes that Syria's future must include Bashar Assad, the tyrant who
is responsible for the deaths of 250,000 of his own people. As Putin
said, "Only Assad is fighting against Islamic State." Meanwhile, Rouhani
declared, "No country should use terrorism to interfere in another
country's affairs." Let us remember that these were addresses delivered
to the world, rather than jokes uttered on a satire program. What a
farce.
The sad reality that
exists in the Middle East these days is what allowed these two leaders
to make such "comical" statements. The growth of Islamic State and the
failure of the U.S.-led coalition against it have given Russia and Iran a
great opportunity to bolster their international status.
For the Russians, this
is a chance to erase memories of their actions in Ukraine and the
Crimean Peninsula. For the Iranians, this provides an opening to deflect
attention away from 35 years of exporting terrorism around the globe.
Russia and Iran are both fortunate that Islamic State exists.
Putin met with U.S.
President Barack Obama on Monday to tell him that the purpose of
Russia's increased military presence in Syria was to fight Islamic
State. He also told Obama that the rebuilding of Syria would require the
rebuilding of the Assad regime.
Obama was right on
Monday when, in his own address to the U.N. General Assembly, he said
that Assad must have no political future in Syria. Unfortunately, there
are two small things that contradict Obama's view of the situation.
First, the pre-civil war Syria no longer exists. And second, all
reconstruction proposals for Syria include a transition period during
which a role for Assad would be necessary. And who knows how many years
this transition would take?
Obama may not want
Assad in power, but in reality, an Assad regime backed by Russia and
Iran is what there is in Syria. Since Obama reiterated on Monday that
the U.S. cannot solve global problems by itself, perhaps he should have
added how wonderful it is to have Russia and Iran to help him. This is
the woeful state of our world today.
Obama's General
Assembly address was his second-last before he leaves the White House in
January 2017. In Monday's speech, he tried to outline what his legacy
will be. One must give Obama credit for adhering to his outlook, even
after all of the mishaps he has been personally responsible for.
Russia and Iran were
the big winners in New York on Monday. Putin, who was ostracized after
Russia's annexation of Crimea last year, is now the world's great hope
in the fight against Islamic State. And Iran is already talking about a
"new world order," thanks to the nuclear deal it signed with world
powers in July.
And what does this all
mean for Israel? "The Zionist regime is the root of all terrorism,"
Rouhani said in his speech on Monday. How hopeful!
What is the solution for all this? Who knows? Perhaps we will get the answer at the U.N. General Assembly in 2016.
Boaz Bismuth
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=13839
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
No comments:
Post a Comment