Secy. Clinton in Turkey Signals U.S. Syria Shift

Photo: Aydan Yurdakul, PA staff, U.S. Consulate General Istanbul (via State Department).

SEN. JOHN McCAIN won’t be satisfied, though he rarely is unless there are boots on the ground, but it’s a signal sent by Pres. Obama through Secy. Clinton, nonetheless.

Brian Katulis does the analysis:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton?s visit to Turkey this weekend publicly signaled that the United States has entered a new phase of its policy on Syria?one in which the United States is working more actively to accelerate the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria while dealing with the risks resulting from the continued conflict.

In announcing a formal U.S.-Turkish bilateral team consisting of military, intelligence, and political leaders to conduct ?very intensive operational planning? for policy options on Syria, Secretary Clinton sent the message that the United States is stepping up its cooperation with regional partners and will remain deeply engaged in responding to the continued violence in Syria.

These intensified planning measures are not likely to satisfy administration critics who have argued for more direct U.S. military involvement in Syria. But these steps demonstrate that the Obama administration remains pragmatic in its approach, assessing the likely implications and possible risks of all actions it might take.

The news in Syria goes from bad to worse on the humanitarian front, which has left Pres. Bashar al-Assad vulnerable to war crimes charges when he finally is ousted from power.

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!