The top Western-supported rebel commander in Syria has been run out of town by Islamist fighters in the latest setback to US policy in the Syrian civil war. General Salam Idris, the commander of the Free Syrian Army, was forced to flee to Turkey after fighters belonging to the Islamic Front overran his offices and took control of warehouses that stored gear sent by the US to help Idris and his men fight the Assad regime.
In Syria today, the US has no allies, no policy and no options. If the President’s drive to a nuclear deal with Iran fails, it will in large part be due to the way that his Syria policy undermined his standing in the region and damaged his credibility.
We are asked to believe that this is “smart diplomacy” at work. If only there were a way to agree.