one on American efforts to bolster rebels and one on Russian efforts to protect Bashar al-Assad, combine to tell the whole story. It’s not a pretty picture.
President Obama’s weak-tea plan is summarized in a Wall Street Journal article that says he authorized a covert CIA program in 2013. The aim, the Journal reports, was to “gradually build a moderate force strong enough to put military pressure on Mr. Assad.”
But instead of victory, Obama only wanted to “force the regime to accept a political solution.”
Contrast that limited objective with Vladimir Putin’s sweeping plan, as summarized by Frederick Kagan and Kimberly Kagan. Beyond protecting Assad, they say Putin “means to forge a counter-alliance consisting of Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanese Hezbollah and demonstrate that his coalition is more effective than the West’s.”